por qué
The English phrase "why" can be translated into Spanish as por qué. If unsure, use por qué. Wiktionary also lists a qué son and a son de qué.
Meaning: (interrogative) for what reason (adv)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| por qué | |
| a qué son | /a ˌke ˈson/ |
| a son de qué | /a ˌson de ˈke/ |
| con qué motivo/razón | |
| en razón de qué | /en raˌθon de ˈke/ /en raˌson de ˈke/ |
| por | /poɾ/ /ˈpo/ |
The most common and official way to ask "why" in Spanish is through the expression ¿Por qué? Other variations exist to express the same concept of asking for a reason or motive, such as a qué son, a son de qué, con qué motivo/razón or en razón de qué.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase por qué literally breaks down to por (for/by) and qué (what/which).
Which one should you use?
The interrogative por qué is used to ask "why", whereas the single word porqué is a noun meaning "the reason". Additionally, do not confuse the question "why" with porque, which means "because" and is written as one word without an accent.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The interrogative form of "why" is written as two separate words with an accent on the e of qué.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish dialects, asking ¿Por qué? repeatedly in a sharp tone can be interpreted as a challenge to authority rather than a genuine request for information.
- The phrase a son de qué contains the word son, which shares a root with the English word 'sound'. It refers to the tone or manner of an action.
- In casual speech, Spanish speakers may omit ¿Por qué? entirely and use a rising intonation on a statement to imply a 'why' question.
Examples in context
- No sé por qué.I don't know why.Tatoeba #861928 by ildefonk, translation #1784975 by Amastan
- ¿Y por qué no?And why not?Tatoeba #1039350 by Shishir, translation #1039433 by GPHemsley
- Por eso lo odio.This is why I hate him.Tatoeba #1670259 by marcelostockle, translation #56195 by CM
- ¿Por qué no ha llegado a la reunión?Why hasn't he/she arrived at the meeting?
- ¿Cuál es la razón por la que no se ha completado el informe?What is the reason for the report not being completed?
- ¿Por cuál motivo no se ha autorizado el proyecto?For what reason hasn't the project been approved?
- ¿Por qué no viniste a la fiesta ayer?Why didn't you come to the party yesterday?
- ¿Por qué razón no fuiste a la playa?Why didn't you go to the beach?
- 3570 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “why” translations and entries a qué son, a son de qué, en razón de qué, por, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, con, de, por, qué, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
