pourquoi

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/puʁkwa/

adverb

why

for what reason

Pourquoi tu n'es pas venu à la soirée hier ?

Why didn't you come to the party yesterday?

Synonyms:pour quelle raison, par quel motif, dans quelle intention

nounmasculineSing

the reason

the why

Il veut connaître le pourquoi de cette décision.

He wants to know the reason behind that decision.

Synonyms:raison, motif, cause

Notes

GENERAL INFO

Pourquoi means "why" in English. It is an interrogative adverb used to ask for a reason or cause.

USAGE

You use pourquoi to pose a question about the reason for something. It can stand alone, or precede a sentence in standard subject-verb order or with inversion.

Examples: *Pourquoi?* (Why?) *Pourquoi tu étudies le français?* (Why are you studying French?)

TRAPS

A common trap is confusing pourquoi with "pour". Pourquoi asks "why?", while "pour" means "for" or "in order to". Always answer a pourquoi question with *parce que* (because), not *pour*.