A-Level examiners reward precision. This lesson sharpens four things that separate a good answer from a great one: por vs para, the ser/estar adjectives that change meaning, the difference between formal and informal register, and the amigos falsos — words that look English but aren't.
por = cause · para = goaléxito ≠ exit → éxito = success
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to choose, some to recall the real meaning. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
por vs para · para
PARA = goal, purpose, destination
Use para when you point forward — to a goal, a recipient, a destination or a deadline:
Goal / purpose:Estudio para aprobar. — I study (in order) to pass.
Recipient:Es para ti. — It's for you.
Destination:Salgo para Madrid. — I'm leaving for Madrid.
Deadline:Para el lunes. — By / for Monday.
Memory hook:para looks ahead — to the aim, the person it's for, or the deadline.
por vs para · por
POR = cause, exchange, duration, movement through
Use por when you look back to a cause, or express exchange, duration or motion through:
Cause / reason:Gracias por el regalo. — Thanks for the gift.
Exchange / price:Pagué 10€ por el libro. — I paid 10€ for the book.
Duration:Por dos años. — For two years.
Movement through:Viajo por España. — I travel through Spain.
Rule of thumb:para = the aim (why you do it); por = the cause, cost, time or route.
Quick check
Goal → para
?Complete: Estudio ___ aprobar. ("I study in order to pass.")
Sort it
por or para?
Quick check
Cause → por
?Complete: Gracias ___ la ayuda. ("Thanks for the help.")
ser vs estar · meaning shift
Adjectives that change meaning
Some adjectives mean one thing with ser (permanent trait) and another with estar (state):
adjective
with ser
with estar
aburrido
boring
bored
listo
clever
ready
Es aburrido. — He is boring. (his character)
Está aburrido. — He is bored. (right now)
Es listo. — He is clever. / Está listo. — He is ready.
Trait vs state:ser gives the essential quality; estar gives the passing condition.
Type it
Your turn — for you (recipient)
1Write "for you" (recipient) — the two-word phrase.
Hint: recipient → para; "you" (object) → ti.
Register · tú vs usted
Formal and informal "you"
Spanish chooses the pronoun by register. The catch for A-Level: usted (formal) takes the él/ella verb form, not a "you" form:
register
singular
plural
informal
tú (tienes)
vosotros (tenéis)
formal
usted (tiene)
ustedes (tienen)
The trap:usted tiene — not usted tienes. Formal "you" borrows the third-person form (tiene, habla, es).
Quick check
False friend: éxito
?What does the false friend éxito actually mean?
Amigos falsos
The false friends to learn
These look English but mean something else — get them wrong and the meaning flips:
Spanish
looks like
really means
éxito
exit
success
actual
actual
current / present
sensible
sensible
sensitive
embarazada
embarrassed
pregnant
realizar
realise
to carry out
molestar
molest
to bother
largo
large
long
constipado
constipated
having a cold
Classic slip:estoy embarazada means "I'm pregnant", not "I'm embarrassed" (that's tengo vergüenza).
Type it
Your turn — for two years
2Write "for two years" (duration) — three words.
Hint: duration → por, then dos años.
Sort it
por or para — sort the phrases
Sort each phrase by whether it uses por or para.
por (cause / exchange / duration / through)
para (goal / recipient / deadline)
Quick check
ser/estar nuance
?What does estar listo mean?
Type it
Your turn — false friend actual
3The false friend actual means (in English)…?
Hint: not "actual" — it means present-day / this word starts with "c".
Game · Match
Match the false friend to its real meaning
Tap a Spanish word on the left, then its real English meaning on the right.
SPANISH
éxito
actual
sensible
embarazada
realizar
molestar
REALLY MEANS
pregnant
success
to bother
current
to carry out
sensitive
Type it
Your turn — in order to learn
4Write "in order to learn" (goal) — two words, using the goal preposition + aprender.
Hint: goal / purpose → para, then the infinitive aprender.
Quick check
Formal register
?Formal "you have": which is the present of tener with usted?
Type it
Your turn — false friend sensible
5The false friend sensible means (in English)…?
Hint: not "sensible" — it means easily moved emotionally.
Recap
Your nuance toolkit
por = cause (gracias por), exchange (pagué por), duration (por dos años), through (por España).
para = goal (para aprobar), recipient (para ti), destination, deadline (para el lunes).
ser/estar shift:ser aburrido (boring) / estar aburrido (bored); ser listo (clever) / estar listo (ready).
Register:usted takes the él/ella form (usted tiene); ustedes for plural formal.
False friends:éxito = success, actual = current, sensible = sensitive, embarazada = pregnant, realizar = to carry out, largo = long.
Cluster 10 rounds off the backbone: essay and translation technique. Press Finish.
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Next in the backbone: essay & translation technique — connectives, opinion with nuance, and EN↔ES translation traps.