Breakdown of Se prohibió la comida a causa del brote.
la comida
the food
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
prohibir
to prohibit
a causa de
because of
el brote
the outbreak
Questions & Answers about Se prohibió la comida a causa del brote.
Why is it a causa del and not a causa de que el?
You use a causa de (without que) when it is followed directly by a noun or noun phrase, like el brote (the outbreak). If you wanted to introduce a clause with a conjugated verb, you would need a causa de que (for example, a causa de que hubo un brote - because there was an outbreak). Also note how the preposition de and the article el contract into del.
Could I use por culpa del brote or debido al brote instead?
Yes to both! Debido a is another neutral connector meaning "due to" and works perfectly here. You could also use por culpa de (because of / through the fault of), which specifically emphasizes that the cause was negative. However, you cannot use gracias a, because that connector is strictly reserved for positive outcomes.
Why is it se prohibió instead of just prohibió?
This is the passive se. It translates to "the food was prohibited" rather than "he/she prohibited the food." In this structure, the verb agrees with the thing receiving the action. Since la comida is singular, the verb is in the singular form prohibió. If they had banned multiple things, it would be plural: se prohibieron las comidas.
Does brote only mean "outbreak" in a medical sense?
Not exclusively. While it is the standard word for a disease outbreak, it comes from the verb brotar (to sprout or emerge). Because of this, brote is also used in botany for a plant shoot or bud, or metaphorically for a sudden emergence of anything intense, such as un brote de violencia (an outbreak of violence).
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