Breakdown of El paciente sigue enfermo por culpa de un tratamiento inadecuado.
de
from / of
un
a, an (masculine)
enfermo
sick
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
seguir
to continue
la culpa
fault / blame
el tratamiento
treatment
el paciente
the patient
inadecuado
improper
Questions & Answers about El paciente sigue enfermo por culpa de un tratamiento inadecuado.
Why use por culpa de here instead of a causa de?
While a causa de (because of) is a neutral connector, por culpa de specifically places blame or highlights a negative cause (literally "by fault of"). Since the improper treatment is a bad thing causing the patient to stay sick, por culpa de is the most natural choice to express this negative attribution.
Why isn't there a que after por culpa de in this sentence?
You use por culpa de on its own when it is followed by a noun or noun phrase, like un tratamiento inadecuado. You only add que to make it por culpa de que if it introduces a clause with a conjugated verb, such as: por culpa de que recibió un tratamiento inadecuado (because he received an improper treatment).
Why does sigue enfermo mean "is still sick"? I thought "still" was todavía.
Does inadecuado just mean "inadequate" (as in "not enough")?
It can mean lacking, but in Spanish, inadecuado more broadly translates to improper, unsuitable, or inappropriate. In this medical context, it implies the treatment was the wrong choice for the illness, not necessarily that there wasn't enough of it.
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