por que

See also: porque, porqué, porquê, por qué, and por quê

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• porque (Portugal)
• por quê (at the end of sentences)
• pq (text messaging)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese porque, from Vulgar Latin [Term?]. By surface analysis, por (“for”) +‎ que (“that”). Doublet of porque.

Cognate with Spanish por qué, French pourquoi, Italian perché.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /puʁ ˈke/ [puh ˈke]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /puʁ ˈke/ [puh ˈke]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /puɾ ˈke/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /puʁ ˈke/ [puχ ˈke]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /puɻ ˈke/

Adverb

por que (not comparable) (Brazilian Portuguese spelling)

1. (interrogative) why, what for, for what reason (introduces a question)

   Synonym: por que que

   Por que o céu é azul? ― Why is the sky blue?

   Por que este e não outro? ― Why this one and not another?

   Por que você não chama ela pra sair? ― Why don’t you ask her out?

2. (relative) why (for which cause, reason, or purpose; introduces a subordinate clause)

   Não sei por que você se foi. ― I don’t know why you left.

Usage notes

• Although this construction is officially considered unstressed when not clause-final (in which case it is accented, por quê), it is often pronounced with lexical stress regardless of its position in the clause.
• This construction is not to be confused with literal ones using the words por (“by, through”) and que (“what, which”):

  Por que caminho seguir?

  What path should we follow?

  (literally, “By what path to follow [along]?”)

Further reading

• “por que”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025