Spanish grammar
Porque vs por eso: because and that's why in Spanish
Porque and por eso join the same two facts from opposite ends. Porque (because) puts the result first and the reason after it: no fui porque tenía trabajo. Por eso (that's why, so) puts the reason first and the result after it: tenía trabajo, por eso no fui. The question word is a third spelling, ¿por qué?, two words with an accent.
In short
- porque = because; the reason comes after it: no salí porque me duele el pie.
- por eso = that's why, so; the result comes after it: me duele el pie, por eso no salí.
- Same two facts, either order: X porque Y means the same as Y, por eso X.
- ¿por qué? (two words, with an accent) asks why; porque (one word) answers it.
- Both halves can be negative: no salí porque no quería.
Porque — giving a reason
«porque» links two facts: what happened, then «porque» plus the reason. «no fui a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo», I didn't go to the party because I had a lot of work. One word, no accent. The two-word «¿por qué?», with an accent, is the question why.
Diego no fue a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
Diego didn't go to the party because he had a lot of work
Nosotros no fuimos a la fiesta porque teníamos mucho trabajo
We didn't go to the party because we had a lot of work
Ellos no fueron a la fiesta porque tenían mucho trabajo
They didn't go to the party because they had a lot of work
Ana no fue a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
Ana didn't go to the party because she had a lot of work
No fui a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
I didn't go to the party because I had a lot of work
Por eso — the mirror of porque
«por eso» flips «porque»: reason first, then «por eso» gives the result. «tenía mucho trabajo, por eso no fui a la fiesta», I had a lot of work, that's why I didn't go to the party. Same two facts as «no fui a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo», in the other direction.
Diego tenía mucho trabajo, por eso no fue a la fiesta
Diego had a lot of work, that's why he didn't go to the party
Nosotros teníamos mucho trabajo, por eso no fuimos a la fiesta
We had a lot of work, that's why we didn't go to the party
Todos tenían mucho trabajo, por eso no fueron a la fiesta
Everyone had a lot of work, that's why they didn't go to the party
Ana tenía mucho trabajo, por eso no fue a la fiesta
Ana had a lot of work, that's why she didn't go to the party
Tenía mucho trabajo, por eso no fui a la fiesta
I had a lot of work, that's why I didn't go to the party
Five connectives, five jobs
«mientras» = while (same time). «entonces» = then, so (sequence). «pero» = but (contrast). «porque» = because (the reason follows). «por eso» = that's why (the result follows). Five connectives, five jobs.
Mientras Diego hacía la tarea, no fue a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
While Diego was doing homework, he didn't go to the party because he had a lot of work
Mientras hacíamos la tarea, no fuimos a la fiesta porque teníamos mucho trabajo
While we were doing homework, we didn't go to the party because we had a lot of work
Mientras todos hacían la tarea, no fueron a la fiesta porque tenían mucho trabajo
While everyone was doing homework, they didn't go to the party because they had a lot of work
Mientras Ana hacía la tarea, no fue a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
While Ana was doing homework, she didn't go to the party because she had a lot of work
Quería ir a la escuela, por eso venía temprano
I wanted to go to school, that's why I was coming early
Estaba en casa porque no podía ir a la playa
I was at home because I couldn't go to the beach
Mientras hacía la tarea, no fui a la fiesta porque tenía mucho trabajo
While I was doing homework, I didn't go to the party because I had a lot of work
The same story, either direction
«porque» leads with what happened, then the reason. «por eso» leads with the reason, then what happened. Same two facts, either order: «hacía la tarea porque quería ir al cine» = «quería ir al cine, por eso hacía la tarea».
Ana hacía la tarea porque quería ir al cine
Ana was doing homework because she wanted to go to the movies
Nosotros hacíamos la tarea porque queríamos ir al cine
We were doing homework because we wanted to go to the movies
Todos querían ir al cine, por eso hacían la tarea
Everyone wanted to go to the movies, that's why they were doing homework
Quería ir a la playa, por eso no hacía la tarea
I wanted to go to the beach, that's why I wasn't doing homework
Quería ir al cine, por eso hacía la tarea
I wanted to go to the movies, that's why I was doing homework
Check yourself
Questions from the course. Pick an answer to check it; nothing is saved.
1.Which one means 'because' (states a reason)?
2.Which one means 'that's why' (states a result)?
3.Which one links two things happening at the same time?
4.Same two facts: which one leads with the RESULT?
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