Hola hola!
I have been reading the message board and found a lot of opinions around this sentence
She has made many sacrifices for her children.
Ha hecho muchos sacrificios por sus hijos.
There seemed different explanations for the reason why "por" was selected, one of which being an "intimate recipient". I initially liked this explanation and found it plausible.
However, I continued reading and found the mention of "for the sake of".
She has made many sacrifices for (the sake of) her children.
Ha hecho muchos sacrificios por (el bien de) sus hijos
Three questions:
1) Can you say "por el bien de" meaning "for the sake of"?
2) Can "por el bien de" be used in the above example?
3) Is it possible that in English "for the sake of" the (the sake of) can be omitted and likewise in the Spanish "por el bien de" the (el bien de) can be omitted?
If the answer to question 3) is yes. Perhaps, this explains and clarifies the use of "por" in the sentence.
Ha hecho muchos sacrificios por sus hijos.
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
I feel trying to explain the por and para debate is a difficult task and your help is genuinely appreciated :)
I have more questions though ;)
This got me thinking about the "for the benefit of":
He did it for the benefit of the company.
Lo hizo en beneficio de la empresa.
This could also be written in English as:
He did it for the company.
Lo hizo por la empresa.
I have two more question:
4) Are the following two sentences correct?
i) Lo hizo en beneficio de la empresa.
ii) Lo hizo por la empresa.
And, finally...
5) Do they have the same meaning?
I would be grateful if you answer the questions above and see if I have understood this use of por.
Many thanks,
Ryan