“Por qué” or “porque”? Understand the difference with this quick guide
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If you have been learning Spanish for a while, you may have noticed that many words and expressions look or sound the same. Depending on the intonation or the way they are written, their meaning can change completely. This is the case for por qué vs. porque.
For many natives of the Spanish language, por qué vs. porque becomes interchangeable at the time of writing, especially when sending a quick message when texting.They are easy to confuse in intonation and writing, even for Spanish speakers.
Since you will be using both words daily, we will explain their differences so that your interactions in Spanish are successful and free of mistakes.
Keep reading to learn more or discover online Spanish classes on Preply.
Porque (because, so that)
Porque is an unstressed conjunction (it does not have a diacritical accent), which has three common uses.
Quick reminder: Conjunctions are words (or sets of words) that work as links to join words, sentences, or propositions.
Introduce subordinate clauses (used to give a reason or explanation)
Subordinate clauses are those that depend on another verb or the core of the main clause.
Examples:
No fui a trabajar porque estoy enferma
I didn’t go to work because I’m sick.
Karla se fue a Puerto Rico de vacaciones porque ahorró dinero durante un año.
Karla went on vacation to Puerto Rico because she saved money for a year.
Tengo que trabajar los domingos porque estoy cubriendo a un colega.
I have to work on Sundays because I am covering for a colleague.
As a direct answer to “why” (por qué) questions
Examples:
A: ¿Por qué no comes carne? – B: Porque soy vegano.
A: Why don’t you eat beef? – B: Because I’m vegan.
A: ¿Por qué estás tan cansado? – B: Porque acabo de llegar del gimnasio.
A: Why are you so tired? – B: Because I just got back from the gym.
A: ¿Por qué no tomas más café con tu postre? – B: Porque no podré dormir más tarde.
A: Why don’t you have more coffee with your dessert? – B: Because I won’t be able to sleep later.
Final conjunction to express “so that” (para que), followed by a verb in the subjunctive tense
Quick reminder: In Spanish, the subjunctive tense is used to present an imaginary scenario.
Examples:
Hizo lo que pudo porque no reprobara el año escolar.
He did what he could so that he wouldn’t fail the school year.
(In this scenario, “reprobara” is the verb in the subjunctive tense.)
Construí una reja más alta porque/para que mi cachorro no se escape.
I built a taller fence so that my puppy doesn’t run away.
Por qué (Why, and other uses)
Por qué has two main uses, and one of them is the literal translation of “Why.” It is very important to add the diacritical accent to the letter “e” in “qué” to differentiate it from the relative pronoun “que” (that).
Quick reminder: “que,” as a relative pronoun, introduces a sentence and refers to a specific characteristic. For example, ¿“Todavía tienes la bolsa que te regalé”? (Do you still keep the bag that I gave you?)
Introduce direct, interrogative sentences
These sentences always prompt an answer. Question marks are required at the beginning and at the end of the sentence (¿?).
Examples:
A: ¿Por qué no te gusta el fútbol? – B: Porque me parece aburrido.
A: Why don’t you like soccer? – B: Because it seems boring to me.
A: ¿Por qué no viniste a la clase? – B: Porque me quedé dormida.
A: Why did you miss the class? – B: Because I overslept.
A: ¿Por qué trabajas tanto? – B: Porque quiero comprar una casa.
A: Why do you work so hard? – B: Because I want to buy a house.
Indirect, interrogative sentences
In some cases, these sentences don’t require an answer. They are preceded by a verb and no question marks are required.
Examples:
No entiendo por qué hay tanto tráfico a esta hora del día.
I don’t understand why there is so much traffic at this time of day.
Dime por qué no me has llamado.
Tell me why you haven’t called me.
Quisiera saber por qué mis hijos no lavan sus trastes.
I would like to know why my children don’t wash their dishes.
Porqué (the reason why)
This masculine noun expresses cause, reason or motive. Because it is a noun, it is preceded by the definite article “el”.
Examples:
El porqué no es importante en este momento.
The reason is not important at this time.
Ella no pudo comprender el porqué de su enojo.
She could not understand the reason for his anger.
Quiero decir el porqué antes de ser juzgada.
I want to present my reason before being judged.
Por que (preposition “por” + relative pronoun “que”)
This combination has different uses. Let’s see two of the most common you’ll use as a Spanish learner.
Preposition “por” + subordinate conjunction “que”
This sequence appears in verbs, nouns, or adjectives that are before a complement introduced by the preposition “por“. They also carry a subordinate sentence introduced by the conjunction “que”.
Examples:
Optaron por que no viniese.
They chose not to come.
Están felices por que empecemos a colaborar en el proyecto.
They are happy that we start collaborating on the project.
Articles “el”,“la”, “los”, and “las” between “por” and “que.”
This combination allows us to insert the articles el, la, los, and las between “por” and “que.” This, of course, will depend on the gender and number that belongs to the noun you are talking about.
Please note that inserting these articles, in some cases, is optional.
This phenomenon normally occurs when there are nouns, adjectives or verbs followed by, or introduced by the preposition “por.”
These sequences or combinations can also be interchangeable by the following structures:
- por el cual = por (el) que [singular]
- por la cual = por (la) que [singular]
- por los cuales = por (los) que [plural]
- por las cuales = por (las) que [plural]
Note: These combinations can be translated as “which.” But contrary to the combination “por” + “que”, it is not possible to eliminate the articles between “por” and “cual” / “cuales.”
Examples:
La razón por (la) que estamos aquí, es para felicitar a Mariana en su cumpleaños.
The reason we are here is to congratulate Mariana on her birthday. (Equivalence, not literal translation)
Las medallas por las cuales competían los clavadistas, están hechas de oro y plata.
The medals (noun) for which the divers competed are made of gold and silver.
El automóvil por (el) que tantos años trabajé, quedó inservible después del choque.
The car for which I worked for so many years, was rendered useless after the crash.
Practice por qué vs. porque
We hope these quick tips have helped you clarify your doubts about the difference between por qué vs. porque. Be careful in the writing and intonation of these four forms so that you use them properly!
We recommend reading helpful articles on the Preply blog for learning Spanish. And that you consider having a 1-on-1 practice with a certified, fluent Spanish tutor to make your progress even faster and way more fun.
Happy learning!
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