Por vs. Pôr in Portuguese: When the Accent Changes the Verb
Por usually introduces a relationship such as cause, route, or exchange; pôr is the verb ‘to put.’ The circumflex marks the infinitive.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Por is a preposition with several meanings, including ‘for,’ ‘by,’ ‘through,’ and ‘because of.’ Its translation depends on the relationship in the sentence, so learn it in a phrase rather than matching it to one English word.
Use por as a preposition
Common combinations include por causa de (because of), por aqui (around here), and trocar uma coisa por outra (exchange one thing for another). The spelling por does not carry an accent in these uses.
Passei por uma rua tranquila.
I walked along a quiet street.
Fiz isso por você.
I did this for you.
O jogo foi cancelado por causa da chuva.
The game was cancelled because of the rain.
Use pôr for the action ‘to put’
Pôr is an irregular verb meaning ‘to put’ or ‘to place.’ The accent distinguishes this infinitive from the preposition por: pôr a mesa (set the table), pôr o livro na mochila (put the book in the backpack). Conjugated forms such as ponho, põe, and pôs follow their own spellings.
A useful check is to replace the word with colocar. If the sentence still works, you probably need the verb pôr. If the word introduces a cause, route, or exchange, it is usually the preposition por.
Vou pôr as chaves na gaveta.
I’m going to put the keys in the drawer.
Ela põe música enquanto cozinha.
She puts music on while she cooks.
Pôs o casaco na cadeira.
He put the coat on the chair.
Put it into practice
Por is the preposition; pôr is the infinitive verb meaning ‘to put.’ Try replacing the word with colocar to check whether you need the accented verb.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “She puts music on while she cooks”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
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