# FR: la raison pour laquelle on voyage



## Brandenburger

Hi,

I've been told that you have to write _La raison pour laquelle on voyage _instead of _La raison qu'on voyage_. Could someone please tell me why this is so? Thanks.


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## tilt

Hello, welcome to he WR forums.
_
La raison qu'on voyage_ would be equivalent to _on voyage la raison_. This doesn't make sense because _raison_ is not the object of _voyager_, which is an intransitive verb.


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## Cracker Jack

Try to breakdown the parts of the sentence, the main clause and the subordinate and fuse them.

La raison est ...

On voyage *pour* la raison...

La raison *pour laquelle* on voyage est...


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## Montaigne

You wouldn't say "the reason we travel" but "the reason why ".
Same in French.


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## pieanne

I think the reason we travel is said and considered as correct...
There was a thread about it in the English Only forum, I'll see if I can find it


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## Montaigne

Right ! Got mixed up.
Thanx, pieanne.


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## marget

In general, is it correct to say "Voilà pourquoi" or "C'est pourquoi" ?


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## Maître Capello

marget said:


> In general, is it correct to say "Voilà pourquoi" or "C'est pourquoi" ?


Yes it is if you mean _C'est la raison pour laquelle_, i.e., if the explanation was provided *before* that.

It wouldn't be possible to use either of your suggestions if the explanation came *after* as in _La raison pour laquelle on voyage est que…_


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## Areyou Crazy

'The reason we travel is because we want to meet people'
This kind of sentence is used all the time.
Personally I don't think it is correct. Don't ask me why though!
It seems a bit lazy. 
'The reason why we travel' _seems _better.
Maybe I am wrong but 20 years ago 'the reason we travel' would be incorrect. I am sure! But as I can't prove it and I can't be bothered to google it I would just say that in my opinion 'the reason why ' is much better

+++ '*The reason I'm calling is because I want to ask*'
 if you use the 'ing' form it _seems_ much more correct than ' The reason + infinitive'


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## Brandenburger

Areyou Crazy said:


> +++ '*The reason I'm calling is because I want to ask*'
> if you use the 'ing' form it _seems_ much more correct than ' The reason + infinitive'


 
I would rather say *the reason that I'm calling is because I want to ask if you are free tomorrow night*. This may be a personal preference but it seems to me more natural than "why"....hence my original confusion with the que.

Thanks everyone for clearing the French phrase up.


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## avok

Remember that the literal translation of  "_La raison pour laquelle on voyage"_ is "the reason *for which* we travel" so we do things "for a reason" in French. And also this is a very common expression in French so you 'd better learn it by heart. "C'est la raison pour laquelle...."


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## bloomiegirl

_The reason (that) we travel is... _is correct in AE - both with and without _that_, which is often elided. Ditto for _The reason (that) I'm calling is..._ 

However, _The reason *why* we travel is.._. is awkward at best.


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## Maître Capello

bloomiegirl said:


> _The reason (that) we travel is... _is correct in AE - both with and without _that_, which is often elided. Ditto for _The reason (that) I'm calling is..._
> 
> However, _The reason *why* we travel is.._. is awkward at best.





Areyou Crazy said:


> 'The reason we travel is because we want to meet people'
> This kind of sentence is used all the time.
> Personally I don't think it is correct. Don't ask me why though!
> It seems a bit lazy.
> 'The reason why we travel' _seems _better.
> Maybe I am wrong but 20 years ago 'the reason we travel' would be incorrect. I am sure! But as I can't prove it and I can't be bothered to google it I would just say that in my opinion 'the reason why ' is much better


So would you say that _The reason *(that)*_ is more used in *AE* whereas _The reason *why*_ is more common in *BE*?



> +++ '*The reason I'm calling is because I want to ask*'
> if you use the 'ing' form it _seems_ much more correct than ' The reason + infinitive'



I don't follow you here… What do you mean by _The reason_ + infinitive? Something like _The reason to travel…_?


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## Areyou Crazy

Hi.I was deviating from the question asked and confusing my point with the question of gerund vs infinitive
Reason is usually followed by 'ing' if we explain why we are doing something at the moment. For regular activities I suppose we use  'reason' + infinitive. I'm not saying anything here an English person wouldn't know but it's interesting nevertheless.
If you say 'The reason I call you is because I want to know if you can help me' (to express my reason now) it sounds strange.
If you say 'The reason I call you every week is because I like to chat'(general) This is fine!
Sorry;I was rambling I guess in the last post

+++
I forgot to respond to the first point
Good question. Maybe it depends on the verb! I don't know enough Americans to answer. I have a feeling that you may be on to something though.
I heard in England on the telephone 'The reason why I'm calling' simplified to the 'The reason I'm calling'  all the time.  . To be formal  The reason for which I 'm calling is good but nobody says that anymore. I can't  recall many people in England saying the reason that I'm calling is...


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## timpeac

Maître Capello said:


> So would you say that _The reason *(that)*_ is more used in *AE* whereas _The reason *why*_ is more common in *BE*?


No, I don't think so. I would be more likely to say "the reason (that) he did that was..." anyway.


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