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Sono le sei! Siamo in ritardo a causa di questo ingorgo.

Sono le sei! Siamo in ritardo a causa di questo ingorgo.
It is six o'clock! We are late because of this traffic jam.
From Lesson 263:Expressing cause and blame (a causa di, per colpa di)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Sono le sei! Siamo in ritardo a causa di questo ingorgo.

Why do we use a causa di here instead of just perché?
Perché means because and is followed by a full clause with a subject and verb, like because there is traffic (perché c'è traffico). A causa di means because of and is followed directly by a noun or pronoun, like because of this traffic jam (a causa di questo ingorgo).
Could I use per colpa di instead of a causa di in this sentence?
Yes! Per colpa di also means because of, but it literally translates to by fault of. It carries a negative tone, actively blaming someone or something. Since a traffic jam is an annoying thing causing you to be late, per colpa di questo ingorgo works perfectly here.
Why is it Sono le sei and not È le sei?
In Italian, hours are treated as plural feminine nouns. You are essentially saying they are the six hours. Because of this, you must use the plural verb sono and the plural feminine article le for any time other than one o'clock, midday, or midnight.
Why do we say in ritardo instead of using an adjective for late?
To say someone is late in Italian, you use the fixed phrase essere in ritardo (literally to be in lateness). There is an adjective for late (tardo), but it is used to describe the time of day being late, not people or trains arriving behind schedule.

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