Por Hora vs. Por Ora: Per Hour or For Now?
Por hora gives an hourly rate; por ora means ‘for now’ or ‘at present.’
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Por hora means ‘per hour’ when you describe a rate, price, wage, or speed measured over each hour. Here hora is the time unit. Add the rate or quantity that applies to one hour.
Use por hora for a rate
A simple check is to replace por hora with a cada hora (each hour). If the sentence still expresses a repeated or hourly rate, write the two words separately.
O estacionamento custa quinze reais por hora.
Parking costs fifteen reais per hour.
A máquina imprime cinquenta páginas por hora.
The machine prints fifty pages per hour.
Ela recebe por hora, não por projeto.
She is paid by the hour, not by project.
Use por ora for ‘for now’
Por ora means ‘for now,’ ‘for the moment,’ or ‘at present.’ It describes a temporary state or decision rather than a rate. The expression is a little more formal than por enquanto, which is common in everyday conversation.
If you can replace the phrase with por enquanto, use por ora. Keep the words separate in both expressions.
Por ora, vamos manter o plano atual.
For now, we’ll keep the current plan.
Não precisamos de mais informações por ora.
We don’t need more information for the moment.
Por enquanto, vou trabalhar de casa.
For now, I’m going to work from home.
Put it into practice
Use por hora for something measured per hour. Use por ora for a temporary situation or ‘for now.’
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Parking costs fifteen reais per hour”?
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