Unit 7.2
Differences between Por qué and Porque
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Introduction
Por qué and porque are two linguistic elements used to refer to the cause of something. However, they have different forms and uses.
Por qué is a verbal locution that serves to ask the reason for something.
Porque is a causal link that serves to answer the reason for something.
Form
Por qué is a verbal locution, two words that function as one. Porque is a causal link, a link between a sentence and its cause.
Por qué and porque have invariable forms. Its main characteristics are:
Por qué
Por qué is an adverbial locution.
it is made up of the preposition por and the interrogative or exclamatory pronoun qué, therefore it has an accent;
It introduces interrogative and exclamatory sentences (direct and indirect).
Porque
Porque is a causal conjunction and does not have an accent;
It introduces a causal subordinate clause.
Example
- ¿Por qué no vamos al mercado? → No vamos porque hace frío;
- ¿Por qué está todo tan caro?→ Está caro porque han subido los precios;
- ¿Por qué eres tan malo? → Soy malo porque me aburro;
- Le pregunté por qué no íbamos al mercado;
- No sabía por qué estaba todo tan caro;
- No entendía por qué era tan malo.
Use
Por qué is used to ask about the cause, motive, or reason for something. It is used to ask questions about causes. Por qué cannot replace it with terms such as reason, cause, or motive.
Porque is used to explain the cause and can be replaced by other causal locutions such as dado que or puesto que.
Summary
Por qué and porque are almost homophonous words that are spelt differently and have different meanings. In Spanish, por qué asks the reason for something, and porque answers the reason for something.
For example:
— «¿Por qué compras tantos huevos?» = It serves to ask questions.
— «Luisa no vino porque estaba lloviendo.» = It explains the cause.
Check the contents of the {Form} section. Then move on to the {Example} section, which shows you the usage in context.
Related
Por qué and Porque are two linguistics elements used to refer to the cause of something. However, they have different forms and uses. Por qué is a verbal locution used to aske the reason for something. Porque is a nexus of causality used to explain the reason for something.
- At the B1 Level, the characteristics of causal sentences can be studied in more depth.
Exercises
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