Asking "why" and saying "because"
To ask "why" in French, use the question word pourquoi. To answer with "because", use parce que.
| Why are you absent today? | Pourquoi est-ce que tu es absent aujourd'hui ? |
| Because I am sick. | Parce que je suis malade. |
Notice that que becomes qu' whenever the following word begins with a vowel or a silent h (for example, il or elle).
Calling in sick
If you need to explain an absence, you can use parce que with common health vocabulary, like un rhume (a cold), la fièvre (fever), or the verb tousser (to cough).
| Is it because you have a cold? | Est-ce que c'est parce que tu as un rhume ? |
| Yes, I cannot work because I have a fever and I am coughing. | Oui, je ne peux pas travailler parce que j'ai de la fièvre et je tousse. |
Traffic and delays
Another common reason to explain why you are late (en retard) is being stuck (bloqué) due to traffic. You will often use the phrase parce qu'il y a... (because there is...).
| Why are you late? | Pourquoi est-ce que tu es en retard ? |
| Because there is a traffic jam in the city center. | Parce qu'il y a un embouteillage dans le centre-ville. |
| I am stuck on the bridge because there is a serious accident. | Je suis bloqué sur le pont parce qu'il y a un accident grave. |
Canceling plans
You can put these explanations together when you need to cancel (annuler) a meeting or an appointment.
| Why are you canceling the meeting? | Pourquoi est-ce que vous annulez la réunion ? |
| Why is he canceling the appointment? Because he is sick. | Pourquoi est-ce qu'il annule le rendez-vous ? Parce qu'il est malade. |
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