Three spellings, three jobs
Spanish writes “why” and “because” differently. They sound similar, and the clearest difference is on paper (por qué and porqué stress the qué; porque doesn’t). A space and an accent are all that separate them.
| Spelling | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| por qué | why (in questions, direct or indirect) | ¿Por qué lloras? No sé por qué llora. |
| porque | because | Lloro porque estoy triste. |
| porqué | the reason (a noun, with el or un) | No entiendo el porqué. |
The quick test
Can you replace it with “because”? Then it is porque. Is there an article (el, un) right before it? Then it is the noun porqué, and it can be made plural: los porqués. Otherwise it asks “why?” (“for what reason?”), and that is always por qué, even without question marks.
Indirect questions keep the accent
This is the mistake that even native speakers make. A question tucked inside a sentence is still a question: No sé por qué se fue. Dime por qué lloras. Me preguntó por qué estaba triste. Verbs like saber, preguntar, entender, explicar, decir and contar often introduce these.
And “por que”?
There is a fourth, rare combination: the preposition por followed by the relative que, as in esa es la razón por (la) que lo hice or me preocupo por que todo salga bien. You will almost never need it as a learner, so this drill sticks to the three common forms.
Quick answers
What is the difference between por qué and porque?
Por qué (two words, with an accent) means “why” and is used in questions: ¿Por qué estudias español? Porque (one word, no accent) means “because” and gives the reason: Estudio español porque quiero viajar.
When do you write porqué?
Porqué (one word, with an accent) is a noun meaning “the reason”, so it comes after an article or other determiner: el porqué, un porqué, su porqué, los porqués. No entiendo el porqué de su decisión.
Does por qué need question marks?
No. In indirect questions, por qué keeps its accent even without question marks: No sé por qué se fue. Dime por qué lloras.
How do you answer a por qué question?
With porque: —¿Por qué no viniste? —Porque estaba enfermo.