This exam tips covers Errores comunes — Common errors with por, para, and contractions within Higher structures: indirect object pronouns (nos/os) + por vs para + relative pronouns for GCSE Spanish. Revise Higher structures: indirect object pronouns (nos/os) + por vs para + relative pronouns in Core Grammar for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
⚠️ Errores comunes — Common errors with por, para, and contractions
❌ Error 1: Voy a Madrid para tres días.
✅ Correcto: Voy a Madrid por tres días.
Por qué: Three days is a duration — how long you stay, not why you are going. Duration always uses por. Using para here would imply purpose or goal: Voy a Madrid para estudiar (in order to study) is correct, but "for three days" is a length of time, not a purpose.
❌ Error 2: Le doy la carta a el director.
✅ Correcto: Le doy la carta al director.
Por qué: In Spanish, a + el MUST contract to al. The sequence "a el" is never written in standard Spanish — it is always "al". The same applies to movement: Voy al colegio (not Voy a el colegio). The only exception is when el is part of a proper noun: Voy a El Cairo (Cairo — no contraction because "El" is the name, not the article).