Have you ever doubted the spelling of a word in English? You bet I have! However, English is not the only language in which a word can change meaning simply by its spelling.

The most obvious case is “por qué“, “porque“, “por que” and “porqué“.

If you are used to writing in Spanish, you have probably hesitated more than once between the various spellings.

Here is the lesson plan that will make your task easier. By understanding the meaning and usage of each word, you will never make a mistake again.

“Por qué”

The grammatical form “por qué” is usually an adverb whose literal translation is “why”. It is therefore frequently used to introduce interrogative sentences. It can also be used in some affirmative sentences. However, “por qué” can also be used in a different context than the English “why”. It is also used to begin certain exclamatory sentences.

Examples :

• ¿Por qué llegaste tan tarde ayer? = Why did you arrive so late yesterday?
• ¿Por qué no me lo dijiste? = Why didn’t you tell me?
• No entiendo por qué actuas así = I don’t understand why you act this way
• No sé por qué lo vende tan caro = I don’t know why he sells it so expensively
• ¡Por qué situacion tan difícil estamos pasando! = What a difficult situation we are going through!

“Porqué”

“Porqué” written as a single word and with an accent is a common noun synonymous with cause, reason or motive. It can be used in the plural and is usually preceded by a definite or indefinite article.

Examples :

• Julio no me explicado el porqué de su silencio = Julio did not explain to me why he was silent
• Dame un solo porqué para tratar de entenderte = Give me one reason to try to understand you
• Los porqués son muchos = The reasons are many
• Todas las consecuencias tienen sus porqués = All consequences have their causes

“Porque”

The Spanish “porque” is a conjunctive phrase that is usually translated as “because” in English. However, it can also be used to express the finality of an action or a cause and effect relationship. It can then replace “para que” and have the meaning of “because / so that” in English.

Examples :

• No fui al trabajo porque estaba enfermo = I didn’t go to work because I was sick
• ¿Por qué no viene?. Porque no tiene tiempo = Why doesn’t he come? Because he doesn’t have time
• Hice muchos esfuerzos porque me entiendera = I made a lot of effort to make him understand me
• Le compré chocolate porque haga un pastel = I bought him some chocolate so he could make a cake

“Por que”

The expression “por que” is the combination of the preposition “por” and the relative pronoun “que”. In some cases, these two words can be juxtaposed and form the expression “por que”. It can therefore be translated into English as “for that”, or sometimes simply “that” without expressing a cause and effect relationship. 

Examples :

• El profesor optó por que saliera de la clase = The teacher opted for him to leave the classroom
• Estaba ansioso por que llegará su hermano = He was impatient for his brother to arrive
• No sé la razón por que hizo eso = I don’t know why he did it
• El trofeo por que jugaron era feo = The trophy they played for was ugly

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