Learn Spanish (Latin America): El dinosaurio es carnívoro puesto que come carne. - The dinosaur is carnivorous since it eats meat.

Puesto que means "since" or "given that." While porque ("because") would also make perfect sense here, puesto que is slightly more formal and is often used when the reason is logical, well-known, or obvious to the listener (like a dinosaur eating meat making it a carnivore).

Can I swap puesto que for ya que in this sentence?

Absolutely. In this context, puesto que and ya que are completely interchangeable. They both work perfectly to connect the statement (El dinosaurio es carnívoro) to its logical cause (come carne).

Why do we use es instead of está here?

We use es (from the verb ser) because being a carnivore is an essential, defining characteristic of this type of dinosaur. You use ser to describe what a creature fundamentally is, whereas estar is used for temporary states, moods, or locations.

Why does carnívoro have a written accent mark?

The accent mark on carnívoro (car-NÍ-vo-ro) tells you to put the verbal stress on the third-to-last syllable. In Spanish, any word stressed on this specific syllable is called an esdrújula, and the rules say it must always have a written accent mark.