por que
why
Intermediate Adverb
🔊
Pronunciation
/puɾ ˈke/
💡
Cultural Note
Portuguese has four forms that confuse even native speakers: 'por que' (why, in questions — two words), 'porque' (because — one word, answers), 'por quê' (why, at end of sentence — accented), and 'porquê' (the reason/noun — accented, one word: 'Qual é o porquê?'). This is a notorious difficulty in Portuguese orthography.
📝 Example Sentences
Por que você está triste?
Why are you sad?
Por que não vamos ao cinema?
Why don't we go to the movies?
Não sei por que ele saiu.
I don't know why he left.