por que

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

Portuguese

Alternative forms

por quê (used in the end of sentences, or as a sentence of its own)
pq (Internet slang used as an abbreviation for 'por que' and all its variants)

Etymology

por +‎ que. Diachronically from Old Galician-Portuguese , from Vulgar Latin ; compare Spanish porque/por qué, French pourquoi, Italian perché.

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʁ ˈke/
- (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈpoɾ ˈke/
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʁ ˈke/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpoɻ ˈke/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /puɾ kɨ/

Adverb

por que (not comparable)

(Brazil, introducing a question) why, what for, for what reason
Synonym: (Portugal) porque

Por que são os céus azuis?
Why are the skies blue?
(introducing a question, uncommon in Brazil) by what, through what, via what
Por que caminho seguir?
What way should we follow?

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