Inklingo

How to Say "the why" in Spanish

The Spanish word forthe whyis porqueB1 level.

English → SpanishB1
NounB1
The underlying cause
A detective looking closely at a large question mark on a chalkboard, representing the search for a reason.

Examples

No entiendo el porqué de tu enojo.

I don't understand the reason for your anger.

Ella nunca explicó el porqué de su decisión.

She never explained the reason for her decision.

Todo en esta vida tiene un porqué.

Everything in this life has a reason.

'The Reason' as a Noun

When you see 'el porqué', it's a noun. It acts just like 'el libro' (the book) or 'el problema' (the problem). You can say 'el porqué' (the reason) or 'los porqués' (the reasons).

Always Has an Accent

As a noun, 'porqué' is always written as one word with an accent on the 'e'. This helps you tell it apart from 'porque' (because).

Forgetting the Article 'el'

Mistake:No sé porqué.

Correction: No sé el porqué. When you mean 'the reason' as a standalone thing, you need to include 'el' or 'un' before it, just like any other noun.

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