Uses for «для чего» and «зачем»? And uses for «зачем» and «почему»?

Question

From what I understand «зачем» means "for what purpose", and trying to distinguish between that and «для чего» doesn't translate well. Additionally, how does «зачем» compare with «почему»?

score 8 · Answer 1 · edited Jul 25 '22 at 20:37

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Both «зачем» and «для чего» in questions are synonyms and have the meaning "for what purpose?".
In contrast, «почему» means "for what reason?" (or "what is the reason?").

edited Jul 25 '22 at 20:37

CocoPop

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answered Jan 21 '16 at 18:21

Dmitry

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score 8 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 27 '22 at 18:52

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Зачем refers to factual purpose, while для чего is for intended purpose (для чего эта кнопка? "what is this button for?" vs. зачем ты нажал эту кнопку? "why did you press this button?").

Почему asks for reasons or causes, not purposes, i.e. where meaningful intent is not involved (generally, anyway; you might come across some examples that blur these distinctions).

edited Jul 27 '22 at 18:52

CocoPop

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answered Jan 21 '16 at 18:26

Nikolay Ershov

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in both your examples зачем and для чего are interchangeable, I believe. – Quassnoi Jan 21 '16 at 18:56
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"Для чего ты нажал эту кнопку" is the same as "зачем ты нажал эту кнопку". There is no difference. Same for "для чего эта кнопка". – Abakan Jan 22 '16 at 09:04
@Quassnoi I've given it some more thought (judging by the comments, I'm ready to believe this time I've really made a contentious proposition) and I think that they are interchangeable, but asymmetrically so. Для чего can much more often be replaced by зачем than vice versa. For instance, if the pressing of the button was a pointless/annoying/disastrous thing to do, it's a very зачем situation; and that's consistent with the idea that для чего is asking about intentions which are, in this case, barely relevant. – Nikolay Ershov Jan 23 '16 at 03:49

score 6 · Answer 3 · edited Jul 25 '22 at 20:39

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Для чего = What for
Почему = Why

Зачем may mean either of the two, though the latter belongs mostly to XIX century speech:

Зачем у вас я на примете?
Не потому ль, что в высшем свете
Теперь являться я должна;
Что я богата и знатна...

edited Jul 25 '22 at 20:39

CocoPop

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answered Jan 21 '16 at 21:02

Matt

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score 5 · Answer 4 · edited Jul 25 '22 at 20:38

Зачем is about a purpose and почему is about circumstances.

Imagine you run into a friend in a shop and ask him why he's there. You could have the following dialogue:

- Зачем ты здесь? / Why are you here?
- Купить молока / To buy some milk

Or this one:

- Почему ты здесь? / Why are you here?
- У меня кончилось молоко / I ran out of milk

The difference is subtle, and you can almost always replace one with the other without any problem.

score -3 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 27 '22 at 19:34

So, let's start, guys and girls! Зачем means -what is your purpose, aim, cause. Почему-basing on what! Для чего-what you do mean/waiting, after thing you did/told etc. P.S.-you can text me, I will always help you with Russian language in a simply understanding form!

Uses for «для чего» and «зачем»? And uses for «зачем» and «почему»?

5 Answers5