Giving reasons with pentru că and deoarece

To explain why something happens, Romanian commonly uses pentru că (because) or deoarece (because): Nu ies, pentru că plouă. (I am not going out because it is raining.) The clause after the connector gives the reason for the main clause.

How do you form a causal clause?

Put pentru că or deoarece before a finite clause, meaning a clause with a verb that carries tense and agrees with its subject; choose the verb form that matches the time and meaning of the reason.

The subordinate clause can have the same subject as the main clause or a different one. Romanian may omit a clear subject: Am plecat, deoarece eram obosit. (I left because I was tired.) If the subject is different, state it when needed: Am plecat, deoarece sora mea mă aștepta. (I left because my sister was waiting for me.)

When should you choose pentru că or deoarece?

Both connectors are standard and normally express the same causal relation. Use pentru că as the most useful everyday default. Deoarece is also neutral Standard Romanian, but it is especially comfortable in careful explanations and expository writing; it is not a different tense or a stronger kind of cause.

The connector does not choose the tense for you. The reason can be in the present, past, or future, and it can be negative: Nu am rămas, deoarece nu mă simțeam bine. (I did not stay because I was not feeling well.) See Romanian sentence negation with nu for the placement of nu inside each clause.

Where do you place the reason?

A reason normally follows the main clause, but it can come first when you want to frame the situation before stating the result. In these basic written patterns, set off the two clauses with a comma: Nu merg la plimbare, pentru că este frig. (I am not going for a walk because it is cold.) Pentru că este frig, nu merg la plimbare. (Because it is cold, I am not going for a walk.)

• Use a postposed reason for a straightforward answer: Am închis fereastra, deoarece era curent. (I closed the window because there was a draught.)
• Front the reason when it sets the scene: Pentru că era târziu, am luat un taxi. (Because it was late, I took a taxi.)
• Answer De ce? with a complete reason clause or a short fragment: - De ce ai plecat? - Pentru că eram obosit. (Why did you leave? - Because I was tired.)

How is cause different from purpose?

A causal clause explains an actual or presented reason; a purpose clause names an intended goal. Compare Am rămas acasă, pentru că eram bolnav. (I stayed home because I was ill.) with Am rămas acasă ca să mă odihnesc. (I stayed home in order to rest.) The first answers de ce? with a cause; the second says what the speaker wanted to achieve.

Do not put să after causal pentru că: say Am plecat, pentru că eram obosit, not Am plecat, pentru că să fiu obosit. Do not replace a reason with pentru ca să when you mean an intended goal. See purpose clauses with ca să and pentru ca să for that separate construction and the Romanian present subjunctive with să for the verb form after ca să.

Which related variants will you meet?

Several other standard connectors can introduce a reason. Treat them as labeled variants, not as mistakes: fiindcă is a common alternative to pentru că; căci is often used in an explanatory or literary-sounding statement; and din cauză că makes the causal link especially explicit, often for an unwanted cause: Trenul a întârziat din cauză că era zăpadă. (The train was late because there was snow.)

• Standard alternative: Nu am răspuns, fiindcă eram într-o ședință. (I did not reply because I was in a meeting.)
• Explanatory or literary-sounding alternative: Nu mă grăbesc, căci mai avem timp. (I am not hurrying, for we still have time.)
• Explicit causal locution: Am schimbat traseul din cauză că era aglomerație. (I changed the route because there was congestion.)
• Keep pentru că and deoarece as your neutral core. The alternatives can have their own discourse or register effects, so do not memorize them as automatic word-for-word replacements in every sentence.

Mistakes to avoid

• Write pentru că as two words. Pentrucă is not the standard spelling taught here.
• Use a finite clause after pentru că or deoarece: Nu vin, deoarece sunt obosit, not Nu vin, deoarece obosit.
• Do not confuse cause with purpose: Am venit pentru că m-ai invitat means I came because you invited me, while Am venit ca să te ajut means I came to help you.
• Keep the connector attached to the reason it introduces. In Nu plec, pentru că plouă, nu belongs to the main clause; in Nu plec, pentru că nu mă simt bine, the second nu belongs to the reason clause.
• Do not treat deoarece as a different grammatical mood. The verb after it is still selected for the meaning and time relation of the whole sentence.