why (hw , w)adv. For what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive: Why is the door shut? Why do birds sing? conj. 1. The reason, cause, or purpose for which: I know why you left. 2. Usage Problem On account of which; for which: "The reason why [regular verbs] are called regular is that we can predict what all the other three forms are" (Randolph Quirk). n. pl. whys 1. The cause or intention underlying a given action or situation: studying the whys of antisocial behavior. 2. A difficult problem or question. interj. Used to express mild surprise, indignation, or impatience. [Middle English, from Old English hw  ; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: Many critics have held that why is redundant in the expression the reason why, as in The reason why he accepted the nomination is not clear. While it is true that why could be eliminated from such examples with no loss to the sense, the construction has been used by reputable English writers since the Renaissance. See Usage Note at where. |
why [waɪ]
adv
a. for what reason, purpose, or cause? why are you here?
b. (used in indirect questions) tell me why you're here
pron
for or because of which there is no reason why he shouldn't come
n pl whys
(usually plural) the reason, purpose, or cause of something (esp in the phrase the whys and wherefores)
interj
an introductory expression of surprise, disagreement, indignation, etc. why, don't be silly!
[Old English hwī; related to Old Norse hvī, Gothic hveileiks what kind of, Latin quī]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Translations
why [waɪ]
A. ADV → por qué
why not? → ¿por qué no?
why on earth didn't you tell me? → ¿por qué demonios no me lo dijiste?
I know why you did it → sé por qué lo hiciste
why he did it we shall never know → no sabremos nunca por qué razón lo hizo
that's why I couldn't come → por eso no pude venir
which is why I am here → que es por lo que estoy aquí
why not? → ¿por qué no?
why on earth didn't you tell me? → ¿por qué demonios no me lo dijiste?
I know why you did it → sé por qué lo hiciste
why he did it we shall never know → no sabremos nunca por qué razón lo hizo
that's why I couldn't come → por eso no pude venir
which is why I am here → que es por lo que estoy aquí
B. EXCL → ¡toma!, ¡anda!
why, it's you! → ¡toma, eres tú!, ¡anda, eres tú!
why, what's the matter? → bueno, ¿qué pasa?
why, there are 8 of us! → ¡si somos 8!
why, it's easy! → ¡vamos, es muy fácil!
why, it's you! → ¡toma, eres tú!, ¡anda, eres tú!
why, what's the matter? → bueno, ¿qué pasa?
why, there are 8 of us! → ¡si somos 8!
why, it's easy! → ¡vamos, es muy fácil!
C. N the whys and (the) wherefores → el porqué
WHY
• Why can usually be translated by por qué:
Why didn't you come? ¿Por qué no viniste? They asked her why she hadn't finished her report Le preguntaron por qué no había terminado el informe! Remember the difference in spelling between por qué (why) and porque (because).
• To ask specifically about the purpose of something, you can translate why using para qué:
Why go if we are not needed? ¿Para qué vamos a ir si no nos necesitan?• In statements, you can translate (the reason) why using por qué, la razón (por la que) or el motivo (por el que):
Tell me (the reason) why you don't want to accept the proposal Dime por qué or la razón por la que or el motivo por el que no quieres aceptar la propuesta• Translate that's why using por eso:
That's why they wouldn't pay Por eso no querían pagar• Like all question words in Spanish, porqué can function as a masculine noun. Note that in el porqué, porqué is written as one word:
I'd like to know why he's absent or the reason for his absence Me gustaría saber el porqué de su ausenciawhy [ˈhwaɪ]
adv (in questions) → pourquoi
Why did you do that? → Pourquoi avez-vous fait ça?
Why is he late? → Pourquoi est-il en retard?
Tell me why → Dis-moi pourquoi.
I've never been to France. - Why not? → Je ne suis jamais allé en France. - Pourquoi?
All right, why not? → D'accord, pourquoi pas?
Why did you do that? → Pourquoi avez-vous fait ça?
Why is he late? → Pourquoi est-il en retard?
Tell me why → Dis-moi pourquoi.
I've never been to France. - Why not? → Je ne suis jamais allé en France. - Pourquoi?
All right, why not? → D'accord, pourquoi pas?
(in relative clauses) → pourquoi
That's why he did it → Voilà pourquoi il a fait ça.
the reason why sb did sth → la raison pour laquelle qn a fait qch
She never told me the reason why she left → Elle ne m'a jamais dit pourquoi elle était partie.
She left, and nobody knows the reason why → Elle est partie et personne ne sait pourquoi.
That's why he did it → Voilà pourquoi il a fait ça.
the reason why sb did sth → la raison pour laquelle qn a fait qch
She never told me the reason why she left → Elle ne m'a jamais dit pourquoi elle était partie.
She left, and nobody knows the reason why → Elle est partie et personne ne sait pourquoi.
excl (= well!) → tiens!
why
adv → warum, weshalb; (asking for the purpose) → wozu; (= how come that …) → wieso; why not ask him? → warum fragst du/fragen wir etc ihn nicht?; why wait? → warum or wozu (noch) warten?; why do it this way? → warum denn so?; that’s why → darum, deshalb, deswegen; that’s exactly why … → genau deshalb or deswegen …
interj why, of course, that’s right! → ja doch or aber sicher, das stimmt so!; are you sure? — why yes (of course/I think so) → sind Sie sicher? — aber ja doch; why that’s easy! → na, das ist doch einfach!; take the bus! why, it’s only a short walk → den Bus nehmen? ach was, das ist doch nur ein Katzensprung; why, if it isn’t Charles! → na so was, das ist doch (der) Charles!; who did it? why it’s obvious → wer das war? na or also, das ist doch klar
n the whys and (the) wherefores → das Warum und Weshalb
why [waɪ]
1. adv & conj → perché
why is he always late? → perché è sempre in ritardo?
I wonder why he said that → mi chiedo perché l'abbia detto
why not do it now? → perché non farlo adesso?
why don't you come too? → perché non vieni anche tu?
there's no reason why ... → non c'è motivo per cui...+ sub
why (ever) not? → perché no?
so that's why he did it! → ecco perché l'ha fatto!
why is he always late? → perché è sempre in ritardo?
I wonder why he said that → mi chiedo perché l'abbia detto
why not do it now? → perché non farlo adesso?
why don't you come too? → perché non vieni anche tu?
there's no reason why ... → non c'è motivo per cui...+ sub
why (ever) not? → perché no?
so that's why he did it! → ecco perché l'ha fatto!
adv why [wai]
for which reason (?) Why did you hit the child?'; He hit the child.' `Why?'; Why haven't you finished?; I haven't finished.' `Why not?'; Let's go to the cinema.' `Why not?' (= Let's!); Tell me why you came here. hoekom لماذا؟ защо proč hvorfor warum γιατί por qué miks زیرا miksi pourquoi לָמָה, מַדוּע क्यों zašto miért? mengapa af hverju, hvers vegna perché なぜ 왜, 어째서 kodėl kāpēc; kādēļ mengapa waarom hvorfor dlaczego porquê de ce почему; зачем prečo zakaj zašto varför ทำไม neden, niçin, niye 為什麼 чому? کیوں tại sao 为什么
rel pron
for which Give me one good reason why I should help you! hoekom ضَمير صِلَه بِمَعْنى: الذي بِسَبَبِه защо proč hvorfor warum ο λόγος που, γιατί por qué mispärast براى چه minkä tähden pour lequel, pour laquelle לָמָה क्यों zašto, zbog čega ami miatt mengapa hvers vegna, af hverju perché, per cui, per il quale ～するところの ...하는 이유 kodėl kādēļ kenapa waarom hvorfor dlaczego porque pentru care почему prečo zaradi česar zašto varför ทำไม ...-in sebebi/nedeni 為何 чому جس وجہ سے tại sao 为什么
why → لماذا proč hvorfor warum γιατί por qué miksi pourquoi zašto perché なぜ 왜 waarom hvorfor dlaczego por qual motivo, por que motivo почему varför ทำไม niçin tại sao 为什么
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