What is por qué?

Por qué in Spanish is used to ask a question that seeks an explanation or reason. It means "why". Here's a breakdown:

• Usage: It's used in direct and indirect questions when asking the reason for something. For example, "¿Por qué estás triste?" (Why are you sad?). To understand the differences you can review these direct questions in Spanish.

• Structure: Por is a preposition meaning "for," and qué is an interrogative pronoun meaning "what." Together, they inquire about the cause or motive.

• Differences: It's important to distinguish it from other similar words:

  • Porque (one word): Means "because" and is used to answer the question posed with por qué. You can find more info about these answers
  • Por que (two words): Used when the preposition por is followed by a relative pronoun que, or a conjunction que, relating to something previously mentioned.
  • Porqué (one word with an accent): A noun meaning "reason" or "cause."

• Examples:

  • ¿Por qué estudias español? (Why do you study Spanish?)
  • No sé por qué llegaste tarde. (I don't know why you arrived late.)

You can also find extra information on these grammatical forms.