Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
потому что. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
потому что, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
потому что in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
потому что you have here. The definition of the word
потому что will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
потому что, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Russian
Etymology
- See потому́ (potomú) and что (što). A possible English gloss is "by the fact that".
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (phonetic respelling: потому́што)
- IPA(key): (phonetic respelling: потому́ што)
Conjunction
потому́ что • (potomú što)
- because
- Synonym: оттого́ что (ottovó što)
Usage notes
- The coordinate question is usually served by почему́ (počemú).
- Unlike English because, Russian потому что can never govern an introductory clause (e.g. English "Because I was early, I had to wait"). For that, поско́льку (poskólʹku), та́к как (ták kak) and other conjunctions must be used. This separation of usage is not general to Russian conjunctions and is rather a peculiarity of a few including this one.