The verb ir (to go) is used in many idiomatic expressions in Spanish. One of the most interesting uses of this verb is to indicate the beginning and progression of an action, for example:
¡Excelente! Voy planeando el evento.
Excellent! I'm starting to plan the event (right now).
It's not easy to translate the expression voy planeando el evento with precision. In the same situation, an English speaker would often use the future tense, "I will start planning the event," which has an exact equivalent in Spanish: comenzaré a planear el evento. But voy planeando (literally, "I go planning") is in the present tense, and the expression means that I'm starting the action of planning at a certain point (the present in this case) and that it will continue for some time in the future until its completion. It also implies that I will be planning while other actions are taking place simultaneously. This may be something obvious that could be inferred by context or mere logic in English, but there is no special verbal form to express it.
Now, this expression has many variations and, since the verb ir (to go) is an important irregular verb, it's worth studying different examples. The basic structure of the expression is as follows: a conjugated form of the verb ir (to go) + a verb in gerundio (-ando, -iendo endings in Spanish). In the previous example we used voy, the conjugated form of the verb ir in the present, and planeando, the gerundio of the verb planear (to plan). Let's see variations with different persons and tenses:
Iré planeando el evento.
I will start planning the event.
Lucía irá planeando el evento.
Lucia will start planning the event.
The verb ir in this expression can also be conjugated in the past tense. For example:
Fuimos planeando el evento.
We went about planning the event.
Did you notice that we adjusted our translation to better express the meaning of the sentence? The same happens when we use other verbs different from planear (to plan):
Voy cancelando el evento.
I start by cancelling the event.
(Though Spanish also has an exact equivalent for this translation: empiezo por cancelar el evento.)
But let's see some examples in real context. In the following examples, try to analyze the construction and meaning of the sentence in Spanish but also the translation we used for each. Maybe you can come up with a better one!
Te pones de rodillas o vas cambiando de postura.
You get on your knees or you go around changing postures.
Caption 75, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 5
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Y ahora, una vez que tenemos el aceite,
And now, once we have the oil,
lo vamos clasificando por calidades.
we're going to classify it by traits.
Caption 66, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 14
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Tienen un olfato muy desarrollado,
They have a very developed sense of smell,
enseguida te huelen el trocito de manzana, galleta, lo que sea,
right away they smell the little piece of apple, cookie, whatever,
y te van siguiendo.
and they start following you.
Captions 54-56, Animales en familia - Un día en Bioparc: Coatís
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Poco a poco la iremos consiguiendo.
Step by step, we are going to achieve it.
Caption 16, ¡Tierra, Sí! - Atenco
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Poco a poco los irás descubriendo todos.
Little by little you'll go along discovering all of them.
Caption 40, Fundamentos del Español - 9 - Verbos Reflexivos
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Hasta después fui aprendiendo
Until later [when] I started learning
conforme se fue haciendo el cómic.
as the comic was being made.
Captions 40-41, Antonio Vargas - Artista ilustración
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Finally, here's an interesting example that uses the verb ir not only as the auxiliary conjugated verb but also for the gerundio, which is yendo (going). The expression is then voy yendo (literally "I go going").
Bueno, voy yendo que... -Sí, sí. -...deben de estar por llegar.
Well, I'm going since... -Yes, yes. -...they are bound to arrive soon.
Caption 24, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido
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That's it. Mejor nos vamos despidiendo (We better start saying goodbye)!
Do you ever feel frustrated when you can't make out what a Spanish speaker is saying because he or she speaks so fast that an entire sentence seems to sound like a single long word? Well, we won't lie to you: there's no easy solution to that problem, only listening practice and more listening practice. However, we can at least give you something to blame next time you find yourself lost in a conversation due to this problem: blame the synalepha.
A fancy word indeed, synalepha (or sinalefa in Spanish) is the merging of two syllables into one, especially when it causes two words to be pronounced as one. La sinalefa is a phonological phenomenon that is typical of Spanish (and Italian) and it's widely used in all Latin America and Spain. Native speakers use sinalefas unconsciously to add fluidity, speed and concision to what they are saying.
There are basically two types of sinalefas. Let's learn about them using examples from our catalog of videos. Maybe that'll help you catch them next time. And if you have a subscription with us, make sure you click on the link to actually hear how the sinalefas are pronounced!
The first type of sinalefa merges two vowels, the last one and the first one of two contiguous words. A single sentence can contain several of them, for example:
¿Cómo es el departamento comercial de una empresa
How is the commercial department of a company
que trabaja en setenta y dos países?
that operates in seventy-two countries?
Captions 1-2, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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So, thanks to the sinalefas, this is how the speaker actually pronounces the sentence: ¿Cómoes el departamento comercial deunaempresa que trabajaen setentay dos países? Yes, the letter "y" counts as a vowel whenever it sounds like the vowel "i."
Here's another example, this time from Colombia:
¿Qué pensaría mi hermano
What would my brother
si supiera de este vídeo que estamos filmando?
think if he knew about this video that we are filming?
Caption 31, Conjugación - El verbo 'pensar'
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Again, thanks to the sinalefas, what the girl speaking actually pronounces is: ¿Qué pensaría mihermano si supiera deeste video queestamos filmando? Yes, the consonant "h" doesn't interfere with the sinalefa, because, as you probably already know, this letter is always silent unless it is next to the letter "c."
Now, the second type of sinalefa merges three vowels of two contiguous words. Here's an example:
¿O a usted le gustaría que lo mantuvieran encerrado?
Or would you like for them to keep you locked up?
Caption 21, Kikirikí - Animales
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Oausted is what the character pronounces. Can you try to pronounce it the same way?
Here's another example, from Mexico this time:
cosa que no le corresponde a él.
something that is not his job.
Caption 6, ¡Tierra, Sí! - Atenco
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Finally, one more example that is somewhat extreme. Hear the host of the Colombian show Sub30 posing a question that contains four sinalefas (loop button recommended):
¿Será que eso sólo pasa en nuestra época o ha
Could it be that that only happens nowadays or has
pasado desde siempre?
it always been like this?
Caption 3, La Sub30 - Familias
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That girl surely speaks fast! Notice that she even merged two words that end and begin with the same consonant “n” into a single one, which, together with the sinalefas, results in what sounds like a super long word: pasaennuestraépocaoha.
Are you wondering what is why in Spanish? Or maybe you're confused about because in Spanish? You're not alone! Understanding the difference between porque and por que (along with their accented variations) can be challenging even for advanced learners.
These four distinct forms represent important concepts in Spanish:
Por qué = Why in Spanish (asking for reasons)
Porque = Because in Spanish (giving reasons)
Porqué = The reason (a noun)
Por que = For which/that (in relative clauses)
Though they look and sound similar, each has its own specific grammatical role. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the difference between why and because in Spanish, explain when to use them correctly, and help you master this tricky aspect of Spanish grammar with plenty of real-world examples.
Spanish has these four different forms that sound nearly identical but serve distinct grammatical functions. Let's explore what is the difference between why and because in Spanish:
Por qué is the Spanish equivalent of "why" in English. It's the combination of the preposition por and the interrogative pronoun qué. Written as two separate words with an accent mark on qué, this form is used to ask about the cause or reason for something. Por qué introduces interrogative and exclamatory sentences, both causal and non-causal, whether direct or indirect. Let's see some examples:
Y Ekain, ¿por qué te gusta el surf?
And Ekain, why do you like surfing?
Caption 52, El Aula Azul Un día de surf
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No entiendo por qué los medios publican semejante mentira.
I don't understand why the media would publish such a lie.
Caption 38, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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¡Y por qué no probarlo!
And why not try it?
Caption 36, María Fernanda Economía durante el COVID-19
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Porque is how you say "because" in Spanish. It's a single word with no accent mark. The stress falls on the first syllable. It's a conjunction used to explain the cause of something and can be substituted with phrases like ya que (since), dado que (given that), or puesto que (since).
Hoy estoy muy emocionada porque estoy aquí con Catalina García,
Today, I am very excited because I am here with Catalina Garcia,
Caption 5, Monsieur Periné Entrevista
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Understanding porque in Spanish is essential as it's commonly used to answer questions that start with por qué (why):
¿Y por qué no fueron donde la tal Margarita esa para traer al Duque de allá? Porque no sabemos dónde vive esa vieja.
And why didn't you go to that Margarita woman's place to bring Duque from there? Because we don't know where that lady lives.
Captions 1-2, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 5 - Part 7
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Porque also frequently introduces reasons without a direct question:
Te dejo porque aquí está pasando algo muy raro.
I'll let you go because something very strange is going on here.
Caption 35, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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Porqué is written as one word with an accent mark. It's a masculine noun meaning "reason," "cause," or "motive." As a noun, it appears with articles or other determinants and can be pluralized.
Don Pepe y doña Susana nunca entendieron el porqué de la extraña risa de su hija en su primer día de universidad.
Don Pepe and Ms. Susana never understood the reason for their daughter's strange laughter on her first day of college.
Captions 36-38, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 1 - Part 11
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"Todo tiene su porqué".
"There's a reason for everything" [literally "Everything has its reason"].
Caption 47, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 1
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"No supe nunca los porqués de su separación".
"I never found out the reasons for their separation."
Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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In English, porqué can also sometimes be translated as "why" when referring to the reason behind something:
Y ahora os explico el porqué.
And now, I'll explain to you why.
Caption 6, San Sebastián Playa de la Zurriola
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Por que appears in two main situations:
When que is a relative pronoun meaning "which" or "that" (you can replace it with phrases like el que/cual or la que/cual):
"La razón por que he dimitido es de dominio público". Separado y sin tilde. Podríamos decir: "La razón por la que" o "por la cual he dimitido".
"The reason why I resigned is common knowledge." Separated and without a tilde. We could say: "The reason that" or "for which I've resigned."
Captions 19-22, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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When "por" and "que" happen to appear next to each other because "por" is required by a verb and "que" introduces a following clause:
"Son muchos los motivos por que decidió mudarse".
"There are many reasons why he decided to move."
Caption 36, Aprendiendo con Silvia Por qué, porque, por que y porqué - Part 2
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Learning the differences between por qué, porque, porqué, and por que might seem challenging at first, but with practice, it becomes second nature. Remember these key points:
Por qué (separated, with accent) asks questions and means "why"
Porque (together, no accent) provides reasons and means "because"
Porqué (together, with accent) is a noun meaning "reason" or "the why"
Por que (separated, no accent) means "for which" or refers to the combination of the preposition "por" with the conjunction "que"
Paying attention to these distinctions will significantly improve both your written and spoken Spanish. It's one of those grammar points that, once mastered, will immediately make your Spanish sound more natural and correct.
Keep practicing by identifying these forms in Spanish videos, books, or conversations. Before you know it, you'll be using them correctly without even thinking about it!
¿Por qué estudiar estas diferencias? Porque te ayudarán a comunicarte mejor. El porqué de tu éxito será la práctica constante y la situación por que pasarás será cada vez más fácil.
Why study these differences? Because they'll help you communicate better. The reason for your success will be constant practice, and the situation you'll go through will be increasingly easier.
Don't forget to send us your questions and comments, and continue exploring our Spanish lessons for more insights into this beautiful language. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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