What does pourquoi in French mean?
What is the meaning of the word pourquoi in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use pourquoi in French.
The word pourquoi in French means why, why, why, this is why, the how and the why, Why that?, Why then?, Why complicate matters?, Why make things complicated?, Why not?, Pourquoi-Pas?, Pourquoi Pas?, Why go without?, Who knows why?, Goodness knows why!. To learn more, please see the details below.
Meaning of the word pourquoi
whyadverbe (questionne sur la cause ou sur le but) (adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.") Pourquoi avez-vous fait cela ? Je ne comprends pas pourquoi il a fait cela. What did you do that for? |
whynom masculin (cause, raison) (noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.) Nous ne connaissons ni le pourquoi ni le comment de cette affaire. We don't know the why or the how in this case. |
whynom masculin (explication) (noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.) Les enfants veulent toujours savoir le pourquoi des choses. Children always want to know the why of everything. |
this is why(c'est la raison pour laquelle) (slightly formal) (expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.") Il y avait une manifestation sur son parcours, c'est pourquoi mon bus est passé en retard. There was a demonstration on the bus route; that's why my bus was late. |
the how and the whynom masculin (explication) |
Why that?(emphase pour pourquoi) |
Why then?(emphase pour pourquoi) (expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.") |
Why complicate matters?, Why make things complicated?(il est inutile de compliquer les choses) |
Why not?interjection (essayons !) (interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!") – Tu aimerais visiter la Jamaïque ? – Pourquoi pas. |
Pourquoi-Pas?, Pourquoi Pas?nom propre masculin (bateau d'exploration français) (French ship) (noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.) Le commandant Charcot explora les Pôles sur le Pourquoi Pas. |
Why go without?(autant en profiter) (expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.") Se faire masser par son copain fait du bien et ne coûte rien alors pourquoi se priver ? Getting a massage from your beloved does you good and costs nothing, so why go without? |
Who knows why?, Goodness knows why!interjection (je me demande pourquoi) (expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.") Jeanne n'est pas venue ce soir, va savoir pourquoi. |
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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.