When to Use “Porque,” “Por qué,” “Porqué,” and “Por que”

 When to Use “Porque” (together, no accent)

 Explains the cause or reason for something. It answers questions that start with ¿por qué?

 Examples:

• No salí porque estaba lloviendo. → I didn’t go out because it was raining.
• Estudio español porque me gusta. → I study Spanish because I like it.

 Trick: If you can replace porque with “ya que” (since) or “pues” (because), it’s correct.
 No fui porque estaba cansado. → No fui ya que estaba cansado. (Makes sense!)

 When to Use “Por qué” (separate, with an accent)

 Used in direct or indirect questions.

 Examples:

• ¿Por qué no viniste ayer? (Direct question) → Why didn’t you come yesterday?
• No entiendo por qué se fue. (Indirect question) → I don’t understand why he left.

 Trick: If you can replace por qué with “por cuál razón” (for what reason), it’s correct.
 No sé por qué te fuiste. → No sé por cuál razón te fuiste. (Makes sense!)

 When to Use “Porqué” (together, with an accent)

 It is a noun that means “reason” or “motive.” It always comes with an article (el, un, su…).

 Examples:

• No entiendo el porqué de tu actitud. → I don’t understand the reason for your attitude.
• Explícame un porqué válido. → Give me a valid reason.

 Trick: If you can replace porqué with “motivo” (reason), it’s correct.
 No entiendo el porqué de su decisión. → No entiendo el motivo de su decisión. (Makes sense!)

 When to Use “Por que” (separate, no accent)

 Appears when por and que happen to be next to each other. This usually happens in two cases:
 Por + que as a relative pronoun (equivalent to “por el cual,” “por la cual”…).
 Por as part of a verb + que as a conjunction (equivalent to “para que”).

 Examples:

• Este es el motivo por que me fui. (= por el cual) → This is the reason why I left.
• Luchamos por que haya justicia. (= para que) → We fight for justice to be served.

 Trick: If you can replace por que with “por el cual” or “para que,” it’s correct.
 Luchamos por que se haga justicia. → Luchamos para que se haga justicia. (Makes sense!)

 Quick Summary

 “Porque” → Explains a cause. (= since, because)
 “Por qué” → Used in questions. (= for what reason)
 “Porqué” → A noun that means “reason.” (= the reason)
 “Por que” → Used in formal phrases and can be replaced with por el cual or para que.

 Example with all four:

• ¿Por qué no viniste? (Question) → Why didn’t you come?
• No vine porque estaba enfermo. (Cause) → I didn’t come because I was sick.
• No entiendo el porqué de tu enojo. (Reason) → I don’t understand the reason for your anger.
• Luchamos por que haya justicia. (Equivalent to “para que”) → We fight for justice to be served.

And that’s it! Now you know when to use each one.