because

English

Alternative forms

• cos, cuz, coz, 'cos, 'cuz, 'coz, 'cause, b/c

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English (deprecated template usage) bi cause = (deprecated template usage) bi + (deprecated template usage) cause, modelled on (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French (deprecated template usage) par cause

Pronunciation

• (stressed)
  • , Template:SAMPA
  • , Template:SAMPA
• (unstressed)
  • , Template:SAMPA
• Hyphenation: cause

Adverb

because (not comparable)

1. Template:archaic For the reason (that).
   • 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:

     And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

2. On account (of), for sake (of).

   I ruined my life because of you!

Derived terms

• because of

Translations

on account

• Arabic:

  Tunisian Arabic: Template:tø

• Bulgarian: защото (zaštoto), поради (poradi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 因為／因为, 因为 (yīnwèi)

• Czech: kvůli (cs)
• Danish: fordi (da)
• Finnish: takia (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: weil (de), denn (de)
• Greek: εξαιτίας (exaitías)
• Jamaican Creole: Template:tø, Template:tø
• Portuguese: porque (pt)
• Russian: из-за (ru) (iz-za)
• Spanish: porque (es)
• Swedish: på grund av (sv)

Conjunction

Conjugation of because

infinitive	(to) because
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	because	becauseed
2nd-person singular
3rd-person singular	becauses
plural	because
subjunctive	because	becauseed
imperative	because	—
participles	becauseing	becauseed

1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.

   I hid myself because I was afraid.

2. As known because; as inferred because; as determined because.

   It must be broken, because I pressed the button and nothing happened.

   He's not a nice guy, because he yells at people for no reason.

3. Template:obsolete So that, in order that. [15th-17th c.]
   • 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.2:

     Simon [...] set the house on fire where he was born, because nobody should point at it.

Synonyms

• (for the reason that): therefore, since, for, for that, forthy, for sake, forwhy, as, inasmuch as, ∵ (mathematics symbol)

Translations

by or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that

• Afrikaans: ;
• Albanian:
• American Sign Language: Template:tø
• Arabic: لأن (li'ánna)

  Egyptian Arabic: Template:tø, Template:tø

  Tunisian Arabic: Template:tø

• Aramaic:

  Hebrew: מטל (meṬul)

  Syriac: ܡܛܠ (meṬul)

• Armenian: որովհետև (vorovhetev), քանզի (k'anzi), քանի որ (k'ani vor)
• Breton: peogwir, abalamour ma, en abeg ma, rak ma
• Bulgarian: защото (zaštoto), тъй като (tǎj kato), понеже (poneže)
• Template:trreq
• Catalan: perquè (ca), ja que, car (ca), puix, puix que
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 因為／因为, 因为 (yīnwèi), (more formal) 由於／由于 (yóuyú), 由于 (yóuyú)

• Croatian:
• Czech: protože (cs)
• Danish: fordi (da)
• Dutch: omdat (nl), aangezien (nl), daar (nl) (formal)
• Egyptian: Template:tø

• Esperanto:
• Estonian: kuna (et), seepärast
• Ewe: elabena
• Finnish: koska (fi)
• French: parce que (fr), car (fr), en raison Note: of these, only parce que is common in spoken French.
• Georgian: ,
• German: weil (de), denn (de), da (de)
• Greek: διότι (el) (dióti), επειδή (el) (epeidí), γιατί (el) (giatí)
• Haitian Creole: Template:tø
• Hawaiian: Template:tø, Template:tø, Template:tø, Template:tø, Template:tø, Template:tø
• Hebrew: כי (ki); בגלל (biglál)
• Template:trreq
• Hungarian: mert (hu)
• Icelandic: vegna þess, af því að (is)
• Ido:
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: ,
• Interlingua:
• Italian: perché (it)
• Japanese: なぜなら (názenara), だって (datte), (...) から (ja) (kara), ので (node)
• Khmer: ,
• Korean: -이기 때문에 (-igi ttaemune)
• Kurdish: çimkî, ji ber ku, Template:ku-Arab, Template:ku-Arab
• Template:trreq
• Latin: quia (la), quod (la), quoniam (la), cum (la), propter
• Latvian:
• Lithuanian: ,
• Malay: ,
• Template:trreq
• Mongolian:
• Navajo: Template:tø
• Norwegian: fordi (no), ettersom, det kommer av
• Old English: , ,
• Persian: , ,
• Pitjantjatjara: -nguru, -languru, panya
• Polish: bo (pl), ponieważ (pl), dlatego że, gdyż
• Portuguese: porque (pt), já que (pt)
• Romanian: pentru că, din cauză că, datorită
• Russian: потому что (ru) (potomú što), так как (ru) (ták kak), поскольку (ru) (poskól’ku), ведь (ru) (ved’), ибо (ru) (íbo), понеже (ru) (poneže)
• Template:trreq
• Slovak: pretože
• Slovene: ker (sl)
• Spanish: porque (es), ya que
• Swedish: därför att (sv), eftersom (sv)
• Thai: เพราะ (práw)
• Template:trreq
• Turkish: çünkü (tr)
• Ukrainian: , , , , , , ,
• Vietnamese: , ,
• Template:trreq
• West Frisian: meidat, omdat, mei't, om't

as known because; as inferred because; as determined because

• Finnish: koska (fi), sillä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Interjection

because

1. Used to terminate inquiry concerning origin or purpose, typically initiated by <span class="deprecated" title="Template:term is deprecated; use Template:m.">(deprecated template usage) why

   "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" / "Well, because the sky .... Because the light .... Because the air .... Just because!"