Explaining causes: ya que, puesto que
When you want to explain why something happened or justify a conclusion, you can use cause connectors. Two very common ones in Spanish are ya que (since / seeing as) and puesto que (since / given that).
Both of these connectors are used similarly to porque (because), but they are often used when the reason is already known to the listener, or in slightly more formal contexts—perfect for explaining scientific discoveries!
| The fossil was studied, since it was from a prehistoric animal. | Se estudió el fósil, ya que era de un animal prehistórico. |
| The dinosaur used to eat meat, since it was carnivorous. | El dinosaurio solía comer carne, ya que era carnívoro. |
Puesto que functions in exactly the same way and is interchangeable with ya que.
| The skull is different, given that it is from a new species. | El cráneo es diferente, puesto que es de una especie nueva. |
| This prehistoric species disappeared, since the climate changed. | Esta especie prehistórica desapareció, puesto que el clima cambió. |
Notice that while these connectors usually appear in the middle of a sentence to link an outcome to its cause, they can also be used at the very beginning of a sentence to establish the cause first.
| Since they found a large bone, they looked for the skeleton. | Puesto que encontraron un hueso grande, buscaron el esqueleto. |
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