Learn Spanish (Latin America): ¿Por qué está cerrada la oficina?

In Spanish, por qué means "why" and is always written as two words with an accent mark on the é. This is important because if you write it as one word without an accent (porque), it changes the meaning to "because"!

Why do we use está instead of es for "is"?

We use está (from the verb estar) because being closed is a temporary condition or state. The office will open again later. We only use ser (like es) for permanent characteristics and identities.

Why does cerrada end in an -a?

Cerrada (closed) is describing la oficina (the office). Because oficina is a feminine noun, the describing word must match it by changing its ending from -o to -a.

Why is la oficina at the very end of the sentence? Could I say "¿Por qué la oficina está cerrada?" instead?

Yes, you can! Both are perfectly correct. However, in Spanish questions, it is very common and natural to change the word order so that the verb (está) comes before the subject (la oficina).