Today we will explain the meaning and the use of the Spanish words: como, porque, es que. All of them are conjunctions that connect sentences. Our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, will tell you why they are important and when to use them. 😊
Spanish words: como, porque, es que are conjunctions. That is, invariable parts of the speech that are used to connect words and sentences and that are divided in two main groups: coordinating and subordinating.
These small Spanish words are essential as they allow us to connect information and to use more complex sentences instead of very short ones.
Therefore, if you want to make your speech or text more free-flowing, today’s post will surely provide very useful tips…
Today we focus on 3 subordinating conjunctions that are frequently mixed up by Spanish learners.
To start with, all of them are used to introduce a cause. In other words, to explain the reason why something has happened.
Nevertheless, there is a slight difference between them. Let’s see it below!
COMO
Como introduce a subordinate clause. We use como to explain a fact or condition that is essential to know in order to understand the following information, expressed in the main clause.
Normally, when COMO is used, the subordinate clause goes before the main clause.
- Como no hemos cocinado nada, ¿vamos a comer al restaurante indio? = As we haven’t cooked anything, shall we go to the Indian restaurant for lunch?
- Como me he olvidado las gafas, no leo lo que está escrito en la pizarra = As I forgot my glasses, I can’t read what is written on the blackboard.
- Como ahora no está trabajando, Ana tiene más tiempo para estudiar = As she is not working now, Ana has more time to study.
LOOK OUT!
The Spanish word COMO is also an adverb, meaning “like”, “as”, “as well”. See the example below:
- Como puedes ver, tenemos un pequeño jardín detrás de la casa = As you can see, we have a small garden behind the house.
- Nadie sabe hacer una tarta de manzana tan buena como tú = Nobody can make an apple pie as good as you can.
PORQUE
Porque has the same meaning of como but, unlike it, porque introduce a clause that goes after the main clause.
Also, we must be careful to write it as one word, as por qué is not a conjunction anymore, but an adverb that is used to introduce an answer to a question.
To better understand the difference, porque means “because” and por qué means “why”.
– ¿Por qué llegaste tarde? = Why were you late?
– Porque se rompió el coche = Because the car broke down
– ¿Por qué no te vienes a escalar con nosotros este fin de semana? = Why don’t you come climbing with us this weekend?
– Porque me voy a Madrid = Because I’m going to Madrid
ES QUE
Es que, instead, is used when the casue is an excuse/justification. See the example below:
- No leí todavía el libro que me prestaste. Es que no he tenido mucho tiempo libre últimamente = I haven’t read the book you lent me yet. I just haven’t had much free time lately
We hope that our post on Spanish words: como, porque, es will help you to improve your spoken and written Spanish.
If you want to learn more about Spanish conjunctions, you might also be interested in knowing the difference between the conjunctions Pero and Sino.
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, we will be happy to have you at our school, providing you Spanish courses in a friendly and welcoming space!
Have a nice day and till the next blog 😉
