A vs. Para in Portuguese: Key Differences & When to Use Each

Many Portuguese learners struggle to understand the difference between “a” and “para”, especially when both prepositions indicate movement.

So, what’s the difference between “a” vs. “para” in Portuguese?

The preposition “a” suggests a short stay and a potential round-trip, while “para” implies a longer stay with a one-way movement.

Here’s a simple example:

(1) Eu vou a Portugal de férias. Fico lá duas semanas.
I am going to Portugal for the holidays. I’ll stay there for two weeks.

(2) Eu vou para Portugal. Arranjei lá um emprego.
I am going to Portugal. I got a job there.

In the first case, there’s an expectation of returning, while in the second, the stay is more permanent.

But how long is “long” or “short”? That depends on the context. Let’s look at another example:

(1) Eu vou ao restaurante. Estou farto de comer em casa.
I am going to the restaurant. I am tired of eating at home.

(2) Eu vou para o restaurante. Hoje,  faço o turno das 9h às 15h.
I am going to the restaurant. Today,  I am doing the 9 a.m. – 3 a.m. shift.

Now, we’re working with a different time frame. Yet, within this context, you can still distinguish the guest’s shorter stay in sentence 1 from the cook’s longer stay in sentence 2.

This subtle distinction in duration is often what confuses language learners the most. Plus, “a” and “para” aren’t just about movement—they have other uses too. Rean on.

Learn more about other Portuguese prepositions: Portuguese Prepositions and Their Contractions: An In-Depth Usage Rundown.

a

The preposition a is a preposition of movement as we’ve seen above. Additionally, a is also used as a preposition of time and place. 

Let’s start by taking a look at its contractions. 

Contractions

This preposition merges with definite articles and a few demonstratives starting with a. 

a + definite articles

definite articles	o	a	os	as
contracted forms	ao (a + o)	à  (a + a)	aos  (a + os)	às  (a + as)

a + demonstratives

Besides definite articles, a combines with those demonstratives that start with a:

that over there	aquilo	aquele/s	aquela/s
contracted forms	àquilo (a + aquilo)	àquele/s (a + aquele/s)	àquela/s (a + aquela/s)

Learn more about Portuguese demonstratives: Portuguese Demonstrative Pronouns and Determiners.

Usage

Preposition of movement

As you already know from the introduction, a is used as a preposition of movement in association with shorter periods at the destination: 

Vou à padaria comprar pão.  I’m going to the bakery to buy some bread. Ela foi ao centro para se encontrar com amigos.  She went to the city center to see some friends.

Preposition of time