Breakdown of La tienda está cerrada a causa de la falta de higiene.
de
from / of
la tienda
the store
estar
to be (location/state)
cerrado
closed
a causa de
because of
la falta
the lack (hacer falta: to be needed)
la higiene
the hygiene
Questions & Answers about La tienda está cerrada a causa de la falta de higiene.
Why is it a causa de and not a causa de que?
You use a causa de when it is followed directly by a noun or noun phrase, which in this case is la falta de higiene. If you wanted to follow it with a conjugated verb, you would need to add que, for example: a causa de que les falta higiene (because of the fact that they lack hygiene).
Could I use por culpa de or debido a instead of a causa de here?
Yes, both work well! Because a lack of hygiene is a negative thing, por culpa de la falta de higiene fits perfectly. Debido a (due to) is also a great alternative. A causa de just sounds slightly more like an objective, official statement, much like you'd expect to see on a closure notice from a health inspector.
Why use está cerrada instead of es cerrada?
We use estar with a past participle (like cerrada) to describe the result of an action or a current state. The store was closed down, and now it remains in that condition. If you used ser, it would imply a passive action happening repeatedly (e.g., "the store is closed by the owner every day at 8 PM"), which isn't the focus here.
I usually see falta as a conjugated verb (he/she/it lacks). How does it work here?
In this sentence, falta is not a verb; it is being used as a feminine noun meaning "lack" or "shortage." Because it's a noun, it can be the object of the preposition de and take the definite article la.
Learn La tienda está cerrada a causa de la falta de higiene and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free