Por qué, porque, porqué, and por que
Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.
Por qué: why
Two words, with an accent. Asks the question.
¿Por qué no vienes?
Why aren’t you coming?
Porque: because
One word, no accent. Gives the answer.
Porque estoy cansada.
Because I’m tired.
Porqué: the reason
One word, with an accent. A noun, after el.
No entiendo el porqué.
I don’t understand the reason.
Por que: for which
Two words, no accent. Rare.
Esa es la razón por que vine.
That’s the reason I came.
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Por qué: why
Por qué is literally for what. It asks for a reason, in a direct question or inside a longer sentence. Like all question words, it keeps its accent either way.
¿Por qué estudias español?
Why are you studying Spanish?
No sé por qué se fue.
I don’t know why she left.
¿Por qué no vamos al cine?
Why don’t we go to the movies?
Porque: because
Porque, one word with no accent, gives the reason. It answers por qué.
- Por qué: the question¿Por qué llegas tarde?
Why are you late?
Porque: the answerPorque perdí el autobús.Because I missed the bus.
- Por qué: the question¿Por qué no comes?
Why aren’t you eating?
Porque: the answerPorque no tengo hambre.Because I’m not hungry.
- Por qué: the question¿Por qué te gusta?
Why do you like it?
Porque: the answerPorque es divertido.Because it’s fun.
Porqué: the reason
Porqué, one word with an accent, is a noun meaning the reason. You'll almost always see it after el or un, and it has a plural: los porqués.
No entiendo el porqué de su decisión.
I don’t understand the reason for his decision.
Los niños siempre preguntan el porqué de todo.
Kids always ask the why of everything.
Por que: for which
Por que, two words with no accent, is just por + que, meaning for which. It's rare, because most people add an article: la razón por la que.
Esa es la razón por que vine.
That’s the reason I came.
Esa es la razón por la que vine.
That’s the reason I came.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Writing porque for why
Incorrect:¿Porque no vienes?Correct:¿Por qué no vienes?Why is two words with an accent.
Writing por qué for because
Incorrect:No voy por qué estoy cansado.Correct:No voy porque estoy cansado.Because is one word, with no accent.
Dropping the accent without question marks
Incorrect:No sé por que se fue.Correct:No sé por qué se fue.Por qué keeps its accent even inside a statement.
Leaving out el with porqué
Incorrect:No entiendo porqué de su decisión.Correct:No entiendo el porqué de su decisión.Porqué is a noun, so it needs an article.
Questions about por qué and porque
What is the difference between por qué and porque?
Por qué (two words, with an accent) means "why" and asks a question: ¿Por qué no vienes? Porque (one word, no accent) means "because" and gives the answer: Porque estoy cansado.
Does por qué always have an accent?
Yes, whenever it means "why," even without question marks: No sé por qué se fue ("I don't know why she left").
What does porqué mean?
"The reason," as a noun, usually after el: No entiendo el porqué de su decisión ("I don't understand the reason for his decision"). The plural is los porqués.
When do you write por que as two words without an accent?
Rarely. It's por + que, as in "for which": la razón por que vine. Most people say la razón por la que, so you'll seldom need it.
How do you say "why not?" in Spanish?
¿Por qué no? It also makes suggestions: ¿Por qué no vamos al cine? ("Why don't we go to the movies?").
Keep learning
Related
- Asking questionsYes/no questions, the question words, qué vs. cuál, por qué vs. porque, and tags like ¿no?
- Stress and accent marksThe two stress rules, when a word needs an accent, and accents that tell words apart.
- Por vs. paraThe two words for "for": the reason behind vs. the goal ahead, every use, and sentences that change meaning.
- Qué vs. cuálTwo ways to say "what": before a noun, with ser, with other verbs, and in exclamations.