¿por qué hiciste eso?
The English phrase "why did you do that" is translated into Spanish as ¿por qué hiciste eso?
This phrase is used to ask for the reason behind someone's past action. To be more polite when asking, you can say Disculpa, pero… ¿por qué hiciste eso? or Perdona mi curiosidad, pero… ¿por qué lo hiciste?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of por qué (why), hiciste (you did) and eso (that).
Which one should you use?
In a question, por qué is written as two words with an accent, while the answer uses the single word porque.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can replace eso (that) with lo (it) to change the object from a specific thing to a more general action or situation, as seen in ¿Por qué lo hiciste? If you are addressing a group of people, use the form ¿Por qué hicieron eso? to mean "why did you (plural) do that?" Additionally, changing the verb from hiciste to hizo changes the subject from the informal tú to the formal usted.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, simply asking ¿Por qué hiciste eso? can sound much more confrontational or accusatory than the English 'Why did you do that?'
- The word eso shares its ancient roots with the Latin word ipsum, which is the ancestor of the English word 'self'.
- Spanish speakers may replace ¿por qué? with cómo (how) to ask ¿cómo hiciste eso? Depending on the context, this can be a way of asking 'why' while pretending to be interested in the 'method' to avoid sounding confrontational.
Examples in context
- Tom, ¿por qué hiciste eso?Tom, why did you do that?This sentence uses ¿por qué hiciste eso? to address someone named Tom.Tatoeba #10106130 by manufrutos, translation #10104717 by sundown
- "¿Por qué hiciste eso?" "Porque me dio la gana.""Why did you do that?" "Because I felt like it."This example shows an exchange using ¿por qué hiciste eso? and an answer starting with Porque.Tatoeba #9177086 by ecorralest101, translation #9177085 by DJ_Saidez
- ¿Por qué hiciste eso?Why did you do that?This is a simple way to ask the question using ¿Por qué hiciste eso?Tatoeba #344027 by tatoerique, translation #401801 by CK
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking in the kitchen after Lucía broke a vase.
- Javier¿Por qué hiciste eso?Why did you do that?
- LucíaLo siento, estaba limpiando la mesa.I'm sorry, I was cleaning the table.
- JavierEse jarrón era muy especial.That vase was very special.
- LucíaLo sé, fue un accidente.I know, it was an accident.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eso, por, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
