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shortening 'porque' to 'que'

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ElmerRamone
United States of America

shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by ElmerRamone »

I came across this Duo sentence; 'Deja de hablar que no puedo oír', with the translation given as 'Stop talking because I can't hear.'
I'm assuming this is an informal way of using 'porque', but I could be wrong. Is this common?

A few lessons later, Duo used the word 'fíjate' to say 'you know'. (Pero fíjate que parece una persona muy común.) But, you know, he seems like a really ordinary person. Is this also commonly used?

When does your brain stop hurting?

Cifi

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by Cifi »

The first one reminds me of something I recently asked. I'm still struggling with this myself, but I think it's similar to this one: viewtopic.php?t=3594-andando-que-llegamos-tarde

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ElmerRamone
United States of America

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by ElmerRamone »

It does seem to be very relatable. Thanks.

Upbeat 88
Mexico

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by Upbeat 88 »

yeah i have que used instead of porque

Upbeat 88
Mexico

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by Upbeat 88 »

i would say depending on what saying you should be fine

User avatar
Julian_L.
Argentina

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by Julian_L. »

ElmerRamone wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 1:21 am

I came across this Duo sentence; 'Deja de hablar que no puedo oír', with the translation given as 'Stop talking because I can't hear.'
I'm assuming this is an informal way of using 'porque', but I could be wrong. Is this common?

It's the causal «que». It's mentioned on the DLE as an equivalent of «porque», but they are not the same thing to me. When the main clause is either a command or a question, and the subordinate clause is directly justifying why the thing mentioned in the main clause should be done, «que» is used at the beginning of the subordinate clause. This usage is not only common, but mandatory, and again, I don't see it as an equivalent of «porque», it just happens to "have the same meaning". This «que» is not used in any other context, and «porque» would be used instead of «que» if more words (either yours or someone else's) that are not part of the justification are added (no matter if before or after it). Besides, «porque» is translated into English; «que» is not.

  • Cierren la ventana, que hace frío. → Close the window, it's cold.

    • «Porque» would (for example) be used if the sentence is:

      • Cierren la ventana, porque si no, va a entrar frío. = Cierren la ventana, porque va a entrar frío, si no. → Close the window, because it's going to get cold if you don't.

      • Cierren la ventana. ¿Por qué? Porque hace frío. → Close the window. Why? Because it's cold.

  • ¿Dónde estás? Que no te veo. → Where are you? I can't see you.

  • ¿Qué dijo, que no escuché?What did he/she said? I didn't hear.

    • Be careful to not rewrite (or pronounce) this as «¿Qué dijo?, ¿que no escuché?» because that would mean "What has he/she said? Has he/she said I didn't hear?" (i.e., a «que» that is an abbreviation of «dije/dijiste/dijo/etc que…»).

ElmerRamone wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 1:21 am

A few lessons later, Duo used the word 'fíjate' to say 'you know'. (Pero fíjate que parece una persona muy común.) But, you know, he seems like a really ordinary person. Is this also commonly used?

I can't answer this one. It seems to be a regional usage (Mexican, maybe?) of «fijarse» that is not used where I live. «Fijarse» to me means "to check by oneself", as in «Ahí me fijo» ("I'll check right now"; «ahí» in Argentina has a meaning similar to the ones of «ya») or «fijarse en Google» ("to search it on Google").

ElmerRamone wrote: Mon May 02, 2022 1:21 am

When does your brain stop hurting?

If you mean headaches caused by language learning, it shouldn't be longer than one year.

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ElmerRamone
United States of America

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by ElmerRamone »

Julian, that's a much more thorough answer than I was expecting. Thank you so much! But as for the brain pain, it seems like the further I get into my learning of Spanish, the more these little things come out of nowhere and sting like bees. It feels like the goalpost keeps getting farther away. If you would like more random metaphors, just ask. I've got a million. But, seriously, I'm glad there are people like you here to help me swat some of the bees away.

User avatar
gmads
Mexico

Re: shortening 'porque' to 'que'

Post by gmads »

I do agree with Julian_L, but just regarding the definition taken from the DLE: "7. conj. U. como conjunción causal, equivale a porque o pues," not with the explanations given.

From the moment that this "que" is equivalent to "porque" it should be accepted that it can, under certain conditions, be used instead of "porque" with the same meaning, as in the given example: "Levántate, que ya es hora" = "Levántate porque ya es hora."

Using "porque" does not need more words for one to use it. It is perfectly correct to say, "cierren la ventana porque hace frío."

As for the translations, both "que" and "porque" can be translated:

  • Cierren la ventana, que hace frío → Close the window as it's cold
  • Cierren la ventana porque hace frío → Close the window because it is cold
  • ¿Dónde estás? Que no te veo → Where are you? That I can't see you
  • ¿Dónde estás? Porque no te veo → Where are you? Because I can't see you

By the way, maybe a better translation for "¿que no escuché?" could be "that I did not hear?"


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