# Why / Because



## MingRaymond

I find that in some languages, 'why' and 'because' use the same word. When you want to say 'why', a question mark is added. For example,

Italian: Perché? and perché
French: Pourquoi? and pourquoi

However, this does not happen in Chinese. In Mandarin, 'why' is 為甚麼 and 'because' is 因為. In Cantonese, 'why' is 點解 and 'because' is 因為. 

How about other languages?

Ming


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## linguist786

MingRaymond said:
			
		

> Italian: Perché? and perché
> French: Pourquoi? and pourquoi


The French for "because" isn't pourquoi - it's "parce que" 

Let's see..

*German:*
Warum?/weil....................... 

*Spanish:*
¿por qué?/porque................. (well, more or less)

*Portuguese:*
por que?/porque.................. 

*Arabic:*
...لماذا؟\ لان........................... 
(limaadhaa/li'anna...)

*Gujarati:*
કેમ?/કારણ કે.................. 
(Kem?/Kaara~ ke...)*

*Hindi:*
क्यों?/क्योंकि................... (only an extra "ke" added)
(kyu~?/kyu~ke...)

*Urdu:*
۔كيوں؟\کيوں کے۔۔۔....................... (again, only an extra "ke" added)
(kyu~?/kyu~ke...)


* = nasalised sound

The Gujarati one above is in suddhar Gujarati (standard "proper" Gujarati), but in my dialect (Bharuchi) it is: 
Kem?/Kem ko... (so only a "ko" added)

Hope this helps.


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## linguist786

MingRaymond said:
			
		

> However, this not does happen in Chinese. In Mandarin, 'why' is 為甚麼 and 'because' is 因為. In Cantonese, 'why' is 點解 and 'because' is 因為.


I thought I'd just give the transcriptions:

*Mandarin:* 為甚麼  - wei4 shen2 me5 (why) 因為 - yin1 wei4 (because)
*Cantonese:* 點解 - dim2 gaai2 (why) 因為 - jan1 wai6 (because)


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## anthodocheio

In *Greek* it is the same *γιατί;/ γιατί* (giati)
but is also *επειδή* (epidi) for the answer only. Probably it is more correct this way but both are correct.


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## Becker

In Sinhalese

Why? = _ai?_
Because = _nisaa or hindaa_


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## Confused Linguist

In Bengali,

why: kaeno ('ae' rhymes with the 'a' in 'cat')

because: karon


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## robbie_SWE

*Romanian: *
de ce?/pentru ca....................... 

*Swedish: *
varför?/för att.......................     

I guess this rule doesn't apply to all languages. I've also many times wondered how Italian, Spanish and Portuguese can have the same word for "why" and “because”. 

 robbie


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## jester.

robbie_SWE said:
			
		

> I guess this rule doesn't apply to all languages. I've also many times wondered how Italian, Spanish and Portuguese can have the same word for "why" and “because”.



For Spanish, I can tell you that the two words ¿por qué? (why) and porque (because) are stressed differently:

¿por qu*é*?p*o*rque


I guess that in languages in which the words are pronounced equally, you can guess the meaning from the context.


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## Honour

TR
because: *çünkü*
why: *neden, niye *or *niçin. *They are more or less all synonyms.
Actually neden(lit: from what) asks for the reason of an action that has already happened where niye (to what) and niçin (for what) asks for the intention of the action which will take place in the near future. Anyway, nobody distinguishes them.


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## Tennis

Russian:
why=почему
because=потому что, поскольку, так как...


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## panjabigator

*Panjabi*
kion-why
because-kion ki

There are other words for "why" that are more common in different Panjabi dialects, but these are the standard ones and the ones I use. They are pronounced the same as they would in Hindi/Urdu.


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## Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo

*Esperanto

*Why? = Kial?
Because... = Ĉar...


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## Whodunit

In Latin:

why? = cur?
because = cum/quod


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## hohodicestu

j3st3r said:
			
		

> For Spanish, I can tell you that the two words ¿por qué? (why) and porque (because) are stressed differently:
> 
> ¿por qu*é*?p*o*rque
> 
> I guess that in languages in which the words are pronounced equally, you can guess the meaning from the context.



Actually there is a slight difference in the pronunciation in the Spanish language for "por que" and "porque" the first one has an accent on the "e" even though it's invisible.


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## linguist786

^..which is exactly what he said..


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## moldo

Dutch

Waarom? Omdat ....

We use "omdat" when the sentence continues with the reason.

However, if we do not want to give a reason we say:

Waarom? Daarom!


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## betulina

In *Catalan* there is a slight difference, like in Spanish, although in this case it's only written, there is no difference in pronunciation:

-Why? Because... --> Per què? Perquè...


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## MingRaymond

Thank you everyone. 

Ming


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## Pivra

Thai

ทำไม (tammai)- Why = makes what
เพราะอะไร (preauh arai) - Why = by what
เพื่ออะไร (puea arai)- Why = for what (what will be the result)
เพราะว่า(preauh wa)- Because = by that
เพื่อที่จะ (puea teeja) - Because = for it will be
อะไรคือเหตุผล Arai keau hetuphal (read: Het-Phon)? = What is the reason (lit. What is for the outcome)

อะไรคือสาเหตุ Arai keau saahetu (read: saa- het)? = What is the cause

cheesy example: 

ทำไมเธอถึงรักเรา Tammai ther theaung rak rao? Why do you love me? (lit. Makes what that you love me?)
เรารักเธอเพราะว่าจิตรใจของเรามันเรียกร้องหาเธอ    Rao rak ther preauh wa chitrjai khong rao man riekrong haar ther. I love you because my heart and soul crave for you. (lit. I love you by that the soul and heart of mine they crave for you)


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## Fernita

linguist786 said:
			
		

> ..which is exactly what he said..


 
'¿Por qué?' is used to start a question and the written accent falls on the 'e'.

'Porque...' is used to explain the reason for something. It's one word and it doesn't take a written accent.

Example:
A: ¿Por qué no fuiste al médico?
B: Porque no me sentía tan mal.

Hope it helps!


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## linguist786

That's what I meant - what you just said there was exactly what j3st3r also said.


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## amikama

Hebrew:

why = *למה* (_lama_) or *מדוע* (_madua'_)
because = *כי* (_ki_)


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## jadiepoo

Tagalog:
why = bakit
because = kasi


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## Maja

In Serbian:

why - zašto (зашто)
 because - zato (зато)


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## misdirection

jadiepoo said:
			
		

> Tagalog:
> why = bakit
> because = kasi



_because_ is also translated as "dahil" and "sapagkat".


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## skatoulitsa

anthodocheio said:
			
		

> In *Greek* it is the same *γιατί;/ γιατί* (giati)
> but is also *επειδή* (epidi) for the answer only. Probably it is more correct this way but both are correct.



Greek "because" is also "διότι".


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## Aleco

Norwegian:
- Because = fordi 
- Why = hvorfor


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## Outsider

linguist786 said:
			
		

> *Portuguese:*
> por que?/porque..................


With some reservations. The situation in Portuguese is complicated by the following factors:

1) There is also _porque...?_ and _por que_. They are different from _por que?/porque_, but not all authors distinguish the four in the same way.

2) European Portuguese has also _porquê?_, which is normally used only in questions, although, when used as a noun, it can appear in the affirmative, as well. If I were to translate the following exchange into European Portuguese,

'Why?'
'Because!'

I would write:

- *Porquê*?
- Porque sim!

However, Brazilian Portuguese apparently does not make this distinction.


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## Tisia

*Persian:*
Why: *چرا / براي چه / واسه چي* (chera/baraye che/vasé chi) 
Because: *براي اينکه / زيرا /چونکه* (baraye inke/zira/chunke)

*Kurdish:*
Why: *ئه را چه / بو چي* (ara cha/bo chi) 
Because: *ئه را ئيه يکه / بو ئه وه يکه* (ara eyaika/bo awaeka)

*Finnish:*
Why: Miksi?
Because:Koska

Regards
Tisia


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## Bienvenidos

Adding some to the Persian: 

An additional term for because: *Khotir


*


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## Tisia

^right, *bekhatere inke* can be as well used.

regards
tisia


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## bb3ca201

Scottish Gaelic:

Why? = Carson?

Because = (most common) oir; a chionn 's a; air sgath...;


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## Forero

French: Pourquoi?  Parce que ...


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## MarX

Indonesian:

Why? = *Kenapa?

*Because ... = *Karena ...*
other possibilities: *soalnya ...*, *gara-gara* *...* (negative reason), *habis ...* (skeptical "because").


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## kusurija

In Czech:
why - proč
because - protože; proto, že; kvůli; díky

In Lithuanian:
why - kodėl
because - todėl; nes; dėl;


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## luucia_91

Whodunit said:


> In Latin:
> 
> why? = cur?
> because = cum/quod



I'm studying latin, my teacher said that 
*why? = cur
because = quia*

cum = preposición que indica compañía / enlace en oraciones de relativo con verbo en subjuntivo
quod = pronombre relativo (nominativo y acusativo neutro)


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## jana.bo99

Slovenian:

Why -      Zakaj?
Because - Zato

Croatian:

Why  -     Zašto?
Because - Zato.

German:   

Why  -     Warum?
Because - Darum.


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## MarX

jana.bo99 said:


> German:
> 
> Why  -     Warum?
> Because - Darum.


In German:

because:
-*weil
-denn
-darum, dass ...
*


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## jana.bo99

Hi Marx,

You are right:

Because - weil (is the right answer). I knew it after I left the Forum.

Thank you for correction.


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## dana Haleana

misdirection said:


> _because_ is also translated as "dahil" and "sapagkat".


If I may add:
_Bakit_ can be used both for *why* and *because* if there is conjuction _kung_(which means if)

_bakit_? = *why*?
_kung bakit_ = *because*


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## OldAvatar

robbie_SWE said:


> *Romanian: *
> de ce?/pentru ca.......................
> 
> robbie



_Pentru *că*_ is correct, but so are:_ întrucât, deoarece, fiindcă_.


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## 2PieRad

如何して,から
doushite, kara

Japanese.


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