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In English when you don't want to give answer or when you don't have answer and a person asks you "why?" some people then answer: "because!". What is corresponding word in Spanish?

I've checked the dictionaries and I saw some translations for the word "because" but I'm not sure if it's for the meaning that I'm talking about.

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1 Answers1

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The Spanish equivalent would be "Porque si" (positive) and, as pointed out by rsanchez, "Porque no" (negative).

For example,

  • Why did you do that?
  • Because!

would become:

  • ¿Por qué hiciste eso?
  • Porque sí.

and:

  • Why can't I go?
  • Because!

would become:

  • ¿Por qué no puedo ir?
  • Porque no.

Now, there are other ways to express "because!", here are a few examples for its positive variation:

  • Porque quiero (Because I want to)
  • Porque se me antoja (Because I feel like it, a little rude - rude)
  • Porque me da la gana (Because I want to, a little more rude - rude)
  • Porque se me pega la gana (Because I want to, with even a more rude tone - rude++)
  • Porque se me hincha la gana (Because I want to, with even a more rude tone - rude#)
  • Porque yo lo digo (Because I say so, this is a favorite among parents)

Here are a few examples for its negative variation:

  • Porque no quiero (Because I don't want to)
  • Porque no se me antoja (Because I don't feel like it, a little rude - rude)
  • Porque no me da la gana (Because I don't want to, a little more rude - rude)
  • Porque no se me pega la gana (Because I don't want to, with even a more rude tone - rude++)
  • Porque no se me hincha la gana (Because I don't want to, with even a more rude tone - rude#)
  • Porque yo lo digo (Because I say so, this is a favorite among parents)

"Porque yo lo digo" works in both variations, that might be why it is a favorite among parents since it is so versatile.

Additional note: If you use one of the alternatives don't forget to conjugate to match the tense in which the question has been asked, particularly in the past.

For example,

  • Why did you do that?
  • Because!

would become (based on the conjugation of the verb "querer"):

  • ¿Por qué hiciste eso?
  • Porque quise (From "porque quiero")

However, in a future tense variant it is safe to use the present tense:

  • Why are you going to do that?
  • Because!

would become:

  • ¿Por qué vas a hacer eso?
  • Porque quiero (Not "porque querré")

Also note that "Porque yo lo digo" can apply as-is, without the need to match the tense.

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Jorge
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  • It could also be Porque no, if the question was about a negation, for instance: - Why can't I go? - Because! - ¿Por qué no puedo ir? - ¡Porque no! – rsanchez Dec 16 '16 at 05:46
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    Porque se me pega la gana y Porque se me hincha la gana nunca las había oído, ¿se usan en España? – fedorqui Dec 16 '16 at 08:38
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    @fedorqui lo dudo mucho, suena bastante raro ese se me. Yo venía a comentar que también se puede contestar en algunos casos preguntando ¿Y por qué no?: -¿Por qué hiciste eso? -¿Y por qué no? –  Dec 16 '16 at 08:59
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    En El Chavo del Ocho dicen siempre "porque se me da la regalada gana". – Rodrigo Dec 16 '16 at 11:15
  • @Rodrigo ¡curioso! Aquí en España hablamos de la real gana. Puede que regalada tenga más sentido y que aquí lo deformáramos. – fedorqui Dec 16 '16 at 11:29
  • @blonfu "¿y por qué no?" también es una buena opción, pero es más equivalente a "and why not?", tal como "porque yo lo digo" es más equivalente a "because I say so". – Jorge Dec 16 '16 at 16:27
  • @fedorqui Esas expresiones son más naturales en latinoamérica, una variación famosa es la que Rodrigo menciona. El escritor de El Chavo del Ocho era Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Chespirito) quien era Mexicano y contribuyó a su difusión en América latina. Existen variaciones más groseras y comunes de "Porque se me hincha..." pero consideré que no sería prudente incluirlas. – Jorge Dec 16 '16 at 16:30
  • @Jorge no sabía que en inglés también se respondía con esa expresión, en ese caso tiene más sentido lo que tú dices. –  Dec 16 '16 at 18:04
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    @fedorqui En Argentina se usa "Porque se me da la gana" y otras variantes más vulgares como "Porque se me canta (el culo / las pelotas / etc) " – leonbloy Dec 16 '16 at 18:29
  • Well apparently even if they're parents they'd still have to explain... Otherwise that would be just arbitrary tyranny in a sense. – xji Dec 16 '16 at 20:41
  • Is the "si"/"no" required for proper grammar? I learned in high school that the simple exchange "¿Por que?" "Porque." was correct Spanish, though obviously not a productive exchange. – Tim Sparkles Dec 16 '16 at 20:57
  • @JIXiang There are some cultural reasons behind this, you might want to open a separate question to avoid derailing comments intended to clarify or improve an answer. Having said that, this phrase is generally used by annoyed parents who are at their wit's end, it's their trump card, if you will. In Spanish culture respecting your parents has always been paramount, to the point that some children are expected to use a respectful pronoun when addressing one of their parents ("usted"). With that in mind, there are still kids who call out their parents on being arbitrary when using this recourse. – Jorge Dec 16 '16 at 21:35
  • @Timbo Yes, "sí" or "no" is required for proper grammar. Whenever you use "porque" it is inferred as "it's because...". Think about the now popular exchange of: "it's because..." "because?" "because I am batman!". "Porque" by itself is just "because" but a reason is expected, "Porque sí/no" is akin to "Just because". – Jorge Dec 16 '16 at 21:38