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El investigador limpió el esqueleto, puesto que estaba sucio.

El investigador limpió el esqueleto, puesto que estaba sucio.
The researcher cleaned the skeleton, given that it was dirty.
From Lesson 197:Cause connectors (ya que, puesto que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El investigador limpió el esqueleto, puesto que estaba sucio.

Can I just use porque instead of puesto que here?
Yes, you can. Porque (because) is the most common cause connector. Puesto que (given that / since) is a slightly more formal alternative. It is often used when the reason is treated as an established fact or something obvious.
Why is there a comma before puesto que?
In Spanish, connectors like puesto que and ya que usually need a comma before them when they connect two halves of a sentence. If you were using porque here instead, you generally would not use a comma.
Why does this sentence mix the preterite (limpió) and the imperfect (estaba)?
We use the preterite limpió for the main event: a completed action with a clear end (he cleaned it). We use the imperfect estaba to describe the background condition (it was dirty) that was ongoing at the time the action happened.
If the researcher was examining a female skeleton, would it be la esqueleto and estaba sucia?
No, el esqueleto is a fixed masculine noun, no matter whose skeleton it is. Because the noun is masculine, the adjective describing it must also be masculine, which is why we use sucio.

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