Translation
why
Test yourself on pourquoi
Three quick questions. No account needed.
Know this word? Create a free account to track it.
Word origin
A compound of pour ('for') and quoi ('what'), literally 'for what'. Both elements descend from Latin, pour from pro and quoi from quid.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- pro + quid
Examples
?
Why are you sad?
?
But why are you telling me this now?
?
Why didn't you come last night?
.
I don't know why she left so quickly.
.
I don't understand why the train is late again.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(12)Le jardin de l'école
3 min read · Core 5000
Les Étoiles du quartier
3 min read · Core 5000
Sauvons le lac de la cité
3 min read · Core 5000
Stage ou voyage ?
3 min read · Core 5000
Un secret lourd à porter
3 min read · Core 5000
Il faut que tu partes
4 min read · Core 5000
J'aime bien ranger
5 min read · Core 5000
Le parcours était mal fait
5 min read · Core 5000
Paper Walls
5 min read · Core 5000
Pas devant les clients
5 min read · Core 1000
Quand tu auras fini
5 min read · Core 5000
Vingt minutes dans le noir
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
(7)How to Say Therefore, So, Thus and Hence in French
French Interrogative Pronouns: qui, que, quoi, lequel
French Inversion After Speech and Adverbs: dit-il, peut-être
French Question Words and the 3 Ways to Ask a Question
Reported Questions and Commands in French: si, ce que, de
French Slang and Verlan: How French People Actually Talk
French Word Order and Sentence Structure: The Six Rules
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Meet this word in a story
Every course has graded stories written only with words you have been taught, plus grammar drills, a games arcade and printable worksheets. Chapters 1 and 2 are free.
Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.
French · Free printables
pourquoi: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the French word "pourquoi" (why): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 8: pourquoi, toi, lui and 11 more words.