Inklingo

How to Say "because" in Spanish

English → Spanish

porque

/por-keh//ˈpoɾke/

conjunctionA1general
Use 'porque' when directly stating the reason for an action or situation. It's the most frequent and general translation for 'because'.
A person holding an open umbrella and pointing up at a single dark rain cloud above them, explaining the reason for the umbrella.

Examples

No salgo porque llueve.

I'm not going out because it's raining.

Estudio español porque quiero viajar a México.

I'm studying Spanish because I want to travel to Mexico.

Llegué tarde porque había mucho tráfico.

I arrived late because there was a lot of traffic.

Answering 'Why?'

'Porque' is the answer to the question '¿Por qué?' (Why?). Think of it as a pair: '¿Por qué?' asks the question, and 'porque' gives the answer.

Connecting Two Ideas

Use 'porque' to link a result with its cause. For example: [Result: I'm happy]... 'porque'... [Cause: it's Friday].

Mixing up 'porque' and 'por qué'

Mistake: “Estudio español por qué me gusta.”

Correction: Estudio español porque me gusta. Use 'porque' (one word) to mean 'because'. Use '¿por qué?' (two words, with an accent) to ask 'why?'.

como

/KO-mo//ˈko.mo/

conjunctionA2general
Use 'como' when the reason is introduced at the beginning of the sentence and is often understood or less emphasized, similar to 'since' or 'as'.
A person pointing to dark rain clouds to explain why they are staying inside, representing 'como' as a reason.

Examples

Como no tenía paraguas, me mojé.

Since I didn't have an umbrella, I got wet.

Como era tarde, decidimos volver a casa.

As it was late, we decided to go back home.

Como el restaurante estaba cerrado, fuimos a otro.

Since the restaurant was closed, we went to another one.

'Como' for Reasons

When you use 'como' to give a reason, it almost always goes at the beginning of the whole sentence. The reason comes first, then the result.

Using 'Como' Instead of 'Porque'

Mistake: “Me quedé en casa como estaba lloviendo.”

Correction: Use 'porque' in the middle of a sentence to mean 'because': 'Me quedé en casa porque estaba lloviendo.' Use 'como' to start the sentence: 'Como estaba lloviendo, me quedé en casa.'

Choosing Between 'Porque' and 'Como'

The most common mistake is using 'como' when 'porque' is more appropriate. Remember that 'como' as 'because' is typically used at the start of a sentence to introduce a known reason, functioning more like 'since' or 'as', while 'porque' directly links a cause and effect and is far more common.

Related Translations

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