per

for, per

preposition pehr Less Common

Origin: Latin per (through, by means of)

Usage Note

Per in Spanish texts is typically a borrowing from Latin or Catalan, not a standard Castilian preposition — Castilian uses por or para instead. It appears in formal or legal Latin phrases (per cápita, per se), in Catalan-influenced writing, and in scientific notation. Learners should recognise it but use por or para in their own Castilian output.

Examples

"El ingreso per cápita aumentó este año."

Natural Translation

Per capita income increased this year.

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