Breakdown of Se sabe que la intoxicación continúa por culpa de un restaurante sucio.
de
from / of
un
a, an (masculine)
el restaurante
the restaurant
sucio
dirty
saber
to know (facts) / to hear from (someone)
que
that / than
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
se
(impersonal) one / passive marker
la culpa
the fault / the blame
continuar
to continue
la intoxicación
the poisoning
Questions & Answers about Se sabe que la intoxicación continúa por culpa de un restaurante sucio.
Why use por culpa de here instead of debido a or a causa de?
Por culpa de translates to 'because of' but carries a strong sense of blame or fault (literally 'by fault of'). Since a dirty restaurant causing food poisoning is clearly a negative thing deserving blame, por culpa de is the most natural fit. Debido a and a causa de mean 'due to' but are more emotionally neutral.
Why is it por culpa de and not por culpa de que?
You use por culpa de when it is followed by a noun or noun phrase, like un restaurante sucio. You only add que when it introduces a clause with a conjugated verb, for example: por culpa de que el restaurante está sucio (because the restaurant is dirty).
Is intoxicación a false friend here?
Yes! In English, 'intoxication' usually implies being drunk or high. In Spanish, intoxicación refers to poisoning—most commonly food poisoning (intoxicación alimentaria), or poisoning from chemicals or smoke. If you want to talk about being drunk, you would use words like borrachera or embriaguez.
Why does the sentence start with se sabe que instead of saben que?
Se sabe que is an impersonal construction meaning 'it is known that' or 'people know that.' It focuses on the general fact being known rather than who knows it. If you used saben que, it would specifically mean 'they know that,' implying a specific group of people.
Why does continúa have an accent mark on the 'u'?
Learn Se sabe que la intoxicación continúa por culpa de un restaurante sucio 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