Spanish Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE BECAUSE IN SPANISH
Because in Spanish is mainly expressed through the causal conjunction porque, which is used to indicate the reason or cause of something.
There are, however, other similar yet distinct variants that must be differentiated and taken into account, such as porqué, por qué and por que.
CAUSAL CONJUNCTION PORQUE
In Spanish, the causal conjunction porque translates to “because” in English and is mainly used to introduce subordinate clauses that express the cause or reason for the action in the main clause.
Whenever a cause or reason for something needs to be provided, then porque is always used.
Also, porque can often be replaced by similar causal expressions such as ya que (since) or puesto que (given that).
Porque can also be used to respond to questions that begin with ¿Por qué? (Why?), as an introductory word when answering questions about the reason for a given action, like for example:
➡️ Question:
¿Por qué no lo hiciste?
(Why didn’t you do it?)
➡️ Answer:
Porque no tuve tiempo.
(Because I did not have time.)
Note how, in the example above, porque is not used to ask questions but rather to introduce the reason in the answer for why something was or was not done.
The structure of a sentence using the causal conjunction porque is clear-cut and mirrors English:
PATTERN
Main clause + porque + subordinate clause (reason or cause)
The causal conjunction porque (because) does not carry an accent.
| Pedro compró un coche nuevo porque su coche viejo se estropeó. | Pedro bought a new car because his old car broke down. |
| Llegamos tarde porque teníamos mucho trabajo. | We arrived late because we had a lot of work. |
OTHER VARIANTS
While the use of the causal conjunction porque is clear and straightforward as the equivalent of “because”, distinguishing it from the other related forms is essential, as they all serve different grammatical purposes:
➡️ porqué is a noun (masculine) that means the “reason”, “cause”, or “motive” of something, similar to how in English we would say “the reason why”.
➡️ por qué, which translates to “why”, is mainly used to ask or explain the reason why.
➡️ por que, as a prepositional phrase in specific contexts.
Porqué (Noun)
As a noun, porqué is normally preceded by an article (el/la/los/las) or other determiners and can be used both in singular (porqué) and plural (porqués) form.
The word carries an accent in the é.
PATTERN
Article + porqué/porqués
This variant is not frequently used in everyday Spanish but rather in more formal contexts or in writing.
| Ahora entiendo porqué lo hiciste. | Now I understand the reason why you did it. |
| Todo tiene su porqué. | Everything has its motives. |
Por qué (Interrogative or Exclamatory)
Por qué is a sequence formed by the:
PATTERN
preposition por + the interrogative or exclamative qué
This sequence can be used for both direct and indirect questions. For example:
➡️ Direct question: ¿Por qué no cenaste anoche? (Why didn’t you have dinner last night?)
➡️Indirect question: No sé por qué no cenaste anoche. (I don’t know why you didn’t have dinner last night.)
Notice how in either of the above examples, por qué cannot be substituted by terms such as reason, motive, or cause, differentiating it from porqué. The word qué in this sequence carries an accent.
| ¿Por qué te enfadaste con ella? | Why did you get angry with her? |
| No sé por qué te has molestado conmigo. | I don’t know why you got upset with me. |
Por que (Prepositional Phrase)
Por que can be used in two specific sequences:
➡️ When the preposition por is combined with a relative pronoun, like so:
PATTERN
Preposition por + relative pronoun que
➡️ When the preposition por is combined with a subordinate conjunction, which normally appears after certain verbs, adjectives, or nouns that require the preposition por, and when que is part of a subordinate clause.
PATTERN
Preposition por + subordinate conjunction que
Note how in the second example the verb phrase estar ansioso requires the preposition por and que introduces the subordinate clause.
| ¿Cuál es la razón por la que dijiste esto? | What is the reason why you said this? |
| Esta es la moto por la que cambié mi anterior bicicleta. | This is the motorcycle for which I exchanged my previous bicycle. |
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FAQs
How to say because in Spanish?
The most common word for “because” in Spanish is porque, as in No vine porque estaba ocupado (“I didn’t come because I was busy”).
What difference between porque and por que?
Porque is used to explain reasons (“because”), while por que is a combination of por and que that can appear in phrases or questions, often meaning “for which” or “why.”
How to say because of in Spanish?
Because of is usually translated as por when followed by a noun, as in Llegué tarde por el tráfico (“I was late because of the traffic”).
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Learn more about how to use por and para here.
When to use ya que or puesto que?
Ya que and puesto que also mean “because,” but they are slightly more formal and can be used interchangeably with porque to explain reasons in formal contexts.
Can debido a be used like “because” in Spanish?
Yes, debido a means “due to” or “because of,” typically used in formal writing or speech, as in Debido a la lluvia, se canceló el evento (“Due to the rain, the event was canceled”).
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