How to Say "because of" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “because of” is “por” — use 'por' as a general-purpose preposition to indicate the cause or reason for something, especially in common, everyday expressions..
por
/por//poɾ/
Examples
No fui a la fiesta por la lluvia.
I didn't go to the party because of the rain.
Gracias por el regalo.
Thank you for the gift.
No salimos por el frío.
We didn't go out because of the cold.
Lo hice por ti.
I did it for you (on your behalf/because of you).
Explaining 'Why'
Use 'por' to answer the question '¿Por qué?' (Why?). It points back to the reason or motivation behind an action.
Confusing with 'Para'
Mistake: “When thanking someone, learners sometimes say: 'Gracias para tu ayuda.'”
Correction: The correct way is: 'Gracias por tu ayuda.' Think of it as giving thanks *because of* the help you received. The reason for the thanks is the help, so you use 'por'.
debido
/deh-BEE-doh//deˈβi.ðo/
Examples
El retraso se debió a un problema técnico.
The delay was due to a technical problem.
La tienda está cerrada debido a la festividad.
The store is closed due to the holiday.
No pudimos salir debido al mal tiempo.
We couldn't go out because of the bad weather.
Llegó tarde debido a que el tren se retrasó.
He arrived late because the train was delayed.
Always Appears as 'debido a'
When used to mean 'due to', this word is almost always part of the two-word phrase 'debido a'. Think of them as a single unit that introduces a reason.
What Comes After 'debido a'
You can follow 'debido a' with a thing (a noun) like 'la lluvia' (the rain), or you can add 'que' to follow it with a full idea: 'debido a que llovía' (due to the fact that it was raining).
Forgetting the 'a'
Mistake: “La calle está mojada debido la lluvia.”
Correction: La calle está mojada debido a la lluvia. You almost always need the 'a' after 'debido' when giving a reason.
Choosing between 'por' and 'debido a'
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