Uses of the preposition POR - Part I

Last week, we reviewed the general idea for the use of por. A quick reminder: por expresses the cause or the reason why we do something (the cause precedes the action). However, we're going to see now that sometimes this rule doesn't apply, though the rule will still help you in cases where one hesitates between por and para.

Let's now get into detail and see the specific uses of this preposition. There are a total of ten different uses of por. This week we are going to see five of them. Next week, we'll see the other five.

Uses of Por

1.- By means of - use the preposition por with means of transport or communication.

Hablar por teléfono
Enviar por e-mail
Ver por la televisión
Escuchar por la radio

Viajar por tren, por avión o por barco (in this case, the preposition "en" is also correct and more common in several Spanish speaking countries)

2.- In order to get (something) - use the preposition por when meaning "pick up" something.

Voy por café a la tienda = Voy a comprar café a la tienda.
Ves a por los niños al parque = Ves a recoger a los niños al parque.

3.- Period of the day - use the preposition por with the periods of the day.

Iremos al mercadillo por la mañana.
We'll go to the flea market in the morning.