“Because” is one of those words you use all the time. But in Italian, it works a little differently than in English.
The most common way to say “because” in Italian is perché .
But there are also a few other words to use, depending on the situation. Here you’ll see how to use perché and when you might need something else.
The Most Common Way to Say Because in Italian: Perché
The word perché is the go-to translation for “because” in Italian. You’ll hear it everywhere, and it's used just like in English to explain why something happens.
| Perché | Because | Pehr-KEH |
For example:
Non andiamo al mare perché fa freddo -We’re not going to the seaside because it’s cold
Prendo un taxi perché il treno è in ritardo -I’m taking a taxi because the train is late
Visitiamo questa chiesa perché è famosa -We’re visiting this church because it’s famous
When NOT to Use Perché for Because in Italian (and What to Say Instead)
If you’re answering a question in Italian, you can start your sentence with perché.
For example:
Perché studi Italiano? -Why are you studying Italian?
Perché ho origini italiane -Because I have Italian origins
But apart from this, you can’t use perché at the start of a sentence. Instead, you should use these two words:
| Dato che | Given that | DAH-toh keh |
| Visto che | Given that, seeing as | VEES-toh keh |
For example:
❌ Perché è tardi, torniamo a casa - Because it’s late, let’s go back home
✅ Visto che è tardi, torniamo a casa -Seeing as it's late, let's go back home
❌ Perché piove, prendiamo l’ombrello -Because it’s raining, let’s take the umbrella
✅ Dato che piove, prendiamo l’ombrello -Given that it's raining, let's take the umbrella
How to Say Because of in Italian
To say “because of” in Italian, most of the time there’s one simple word you can use:
| Per | Because of, for | Pehr |
For example:
Mi piace l’Italia per il cibo -I like Italy because of the food
Non andiamo in barca per la pioggia -We’re not going by boat because of the rain
Why vs Because in Italian
Good news: in Italian, you use the same word for “because” and “why”: perché .
For example:
Perché studi italiano? -Why do you study Italian?
Perché ho origini italiane -Because I have Italian origins.
You just have to change the intonation in your voice to emphasise whether or not you’re asking a question.
Here you can also find out more about how to use “why” in Italian (it’s another useful word to know).
Because in Italian: How to Use Perché: Review
-
The most common way to say “because” in Italian is perché .
For example:
- Perché studi italiano? - Why do you study Italian?
- Perché ho origini italiane - Because I have Italian origins.
Prendo un taxi perché il treno è in ritardo - I’m taking a taxi because the train is late
-
But, unless you’re answering a question, you can’t start a sentence with perché . Instead, use: dato che or visto che .
For example:
Visto che è tardi, torniamo a casa -Seeing as it’s late, let’s go back home.
-
To say “because of” use per .
For example:
Non andiamo in barca per la pioggia -We’re not going by boat because of the rain
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: Today we’re talking about how to say “because” in Italian. It’s one of those little words that pop up in almost every conversation, and it’s very handy when answering questions. Like the ones you heard at the start of the episode.
K: And that might be one of the very reasons you wanted to learn Italian. To be able to chat, ask questions and get to know Italians better.
M: Saying “because” in Italian is mostly straightforward, but there are a couple of differences compared to English.
K: Before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you click the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so that we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
K: Usually, when you want to say 'because' in Italian, you use 'perché'.
M: Perché (x2)
K: It’s spelt p-e-r-c-h-e. The “e” on the end has an accent, that apostrophe looking punctuation mark on top of some Italian letters. That accent is there just to tell us to put the emphasis on the last part of the word.
M: So it’s not PER-che, but per-CHÉ. Per-CHÉ.
K: And if you're thinking: that word sounds familiar! It's because we've just used it in the question perché studi italiano? - why do you study Italian. So, perché can mean both “why” and also “because”.
M: All you have to do is change your intonation to show whether you’re asking a question or not. K: So if Matteo was asking “why”, he would say it like this:
M: Perché ? (*question tone*)
K: And if he was using perché to mean “because”, he would say it like this:
M: Perché… (*answering tone*)
K: So if someone asks you perché studi italiano? you could reply with:
Perché ho origini italiane - Because I have Italian origins. Literally:
Perché - because
Ho - I have
Origini - origins
Italiane - Italian
Perché ho origini italiane
K: Of course, this is just one example. Your reason might be different, like a love for Italian culture, travel…
M: …or simply you just like the language. So you could answer:
Perché la lingua è bella - because the language is beautiful.
Perché - because
La - the
Lingua - language
È - is
Bella - beautiful
Perché la lingua è bella
K: And if you want to connect with Italians, complimenting them on the beauty of their language is a good way to do it!
M: But there might be another reason why you're learning Italian or why you like Italy. It’s something Italians are very passionate about as well. Because of the food.
K: You’ve seen that perché is Italian for “because”, so it might be tempting to think that you’d have to use perché again. This is a common mistake that learners make.
If you want to say “because of ” in Italian, you should use the word per, which literally means “for” in English.
M: per (x2)
K: So if someone asked you why you like Italy, you could say per il cibo - because of the food. Literally:
M: Per - for
Il - the
Cibo - food
Per il cibo
M: Or you might like Italy because of the people. In which case, you’d say per la gente. Literally:
Per - for
La - the
Gente - people
Per la gente
K: Let’s see if you can remember how to use “because” in Italian. How do you say “because the language is beautiful”
[...]
M: Perché la lingua è bella (x2)
K: How would you say “because I have Italian origins”?
[...]
M: Perché ho origini italiane (x2)
K: How about “because of”, like “because of the food”?
[...]
M: Per il cibo (x2)
K: In this episode you’ve seen how because can be translated into Italian with perché.
M: But sometimes, perché is actually the wrong choice! That’s why you need to know two other words for “because” and when to use them.
K: To find out what these words are, and to see even more common phrases using “because” in Italian, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. Or you can go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 176.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Because in Italian
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Because in Italian
Vocabulary
Non andiamo al mare perché fa freddo = We’re not going to the seaside because it’s cold
Prendo un taxi perché il treno è in ritardo = I’m taking a taxi because the train is late
Visitiamo questa chiesa perché è famosa = We’re visiting this church because it’s famous
Visto che è tardi, torniamo a casa = Seeing as it's late, let's go back home
Dato che piove, prendiamo l’ombrello = Given that it's raining, let's take the umbrella
Mi piace l’Italia per il cibo = I like Italy because of the food
Non andiamo in barca per la pioggia = We’re not going by boat because of the rain
Perché studi italiano? = Why do you study Italian?
Perché ho origini italiane = Because I have Italian origins
Perché la lingua è bella = Because the language is beautiful
Flashcards: Because in Italian
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
