Cause: perquè, ja que
A cause joins the main clause with the conjunction perquè — "because": Estudio perquè vull treballar — I study because I want to work. After "perquè" comes the ordinary indicative: the cause here is a fact, not a dream. For example: “Estudio perquè vull treballar” — I study because I want to work. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A cause joins the main clause with the conjunction perquè — "because": Estudio perquè vull treballar — I study because I want to work. After "perquè" comes the ordinary indicative: the cause here is a fact, not a dream.
Ja que — "since, seeing that": Ja que els estudis són cars, demano una beca. A sturdier conjunction, loved by letters and explanations. At the head of the phrase a cause also enters through com que — "as, since": Com que plou, queda't a casa.
And "per què" with the accent and the gap is the question "why?": Per què estudies? Do not mix it up with the fused conjunction: the question is always two words.
Table
| conjunction | example | literally |
|---|---|---|
| perquè | estudio perquè vull | because |
| ja que | ja que és tard | since, seeing that |
| com que | com que plou | as, since (at the start) |
| per què? | per què estudies? | why? (the question) |
By example
- Estudio perquè vull treballarI study because I want to work
- Demano una beca perquè els estudis són carsI ask for a scholarship because studies are expensive
- Ja que plou, queda't a casaSeeing that it rains, stay home
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Cause: how does it work in Catalan?
A cause joins the main clause with the conjunction perquè — "because": Estudio perquè vull treballar — I study because I want to work. After "perquè" comes the ordinary indicative: the cause here is a fact, not a dream.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Estudio perquè vull treballar” — I study because I want to work. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.