10.2. Demander une explication

Asking for an Explanation

10.2.1. The Main Idea

To ask for an explanation in French, you can use pourquoi, meaning why, and parce que, meaning because.

Pourquoi ?	Why?
Pourquoi tu fais ça ?	Why are you doing that?
Parce que c’est important.	Because it is important.

Use pourquoi to ask for a reason.

Use parce que to give a reason.

10.2.2. Main Questions

Pourquoi ?	Why?
Pourquoi pas ?	Why not?
Pourquoi tu fais ça ?	Why are you doing that?
Pourquoi tu pars ?	Why are you leaving?
Pourquoi tu es fatigué ?	Why are you tired? masculine
Pourquoi tu es fatiguée ?	Why are you tired? feminine
Pourquoi tu ne viens pas ?	Why are you not coming?

10.2.3. More Neutral Questions with Est-ce Que

Pourquoi est-ce que tu fais ça ?	Why are you doing that?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu pars ?	Why are you leaving?
Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne viens pas ?	Why are you not coming?
Pourquoi est-ce que vous attendez ?	Why are you waiting? formal or plural
Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes ici ?	Why are you here? formal or plural

10.2.4. Giving an Explanation with Parce Que

Parce que je suis fatigué.	Because I am tired. masculine speaker
Parce que je suis fatiguée.	Because I am tired. feminine speaker
Parce que j’ai cours.	Because I have class.
Parce que je dois étudier.	Because I have to study.
Parce que je ne peux pas venir.	Because I cannot come.
Parce que c’est important.	Because it is important.
Parce que c’était intéressant.	Because it was interesting.

10.2.5. Asking Someone to Explain

Tu peux expliquer ?	Can you explain?
Vous pouvez expliquer ?	Can you explain? formal or plural
Tu peux m’expliquer ?	Can you explain it to me?
Vous pouvez m’expliquer ?	Can you explain it to me? formal or plural
Explique-moi, s’il te plaît.	Explain it to me, please. informal
Expliquez-moi, s’il vous plaît.	Explain it to me, please. formal or plural

10.2.6. Saying You Do Not Understand

Je ne comprends pas.	I do not understand.
Je ne comprends pas pourquoi.	I do not understand why.
Je ne comprends pas la question.	I do not understand the question.
Je ne comprends pas cette phrase.	I do not understand this sentence.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi.	I do not know why.

10.2.7. Useful Reason Words

parce que	because
pourquoi	why
une raison	a reason
une explication	an explanation
expliquer	to explain
comprendre	to understand
savoir	to know
important	important, masculine
importante	important, feminine
difficile	difficult
clair	clear, masculine
claire	clear, feminine

10.2.8. Core Patterns

Pourquoi + sentence ?	Why ___?
Pourquoi est-ce que + sentence ?	Why ___?
Parce que + sentence.	Because ___.
Tu peux expliquer ?	Can you explain?
Tu peux m’expliquer ?	Can you explain it to me?
Je ne comprends pas.	I do not understand.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi.	I do not know why.

10.2.9. Practice

Why? |

Why not? |

Why are you leaving? |

Why are you not coming? |

Because I am tired. masculine speaker |

Because I have class. |

Because I have to study. |

Can you explain? informal |

Can you explain it to me? formal |

I do not understand why. |

10.2.10. Answers

Why?	Pourquoi ?
Why not?	Pourquoi pas ?
Why are you leaving?	Pourquoi tu pars ?
Why are you not coming?	Pourquoi tu ne viens pas ?
Because I am tired. masculine speaker	Parce que je suis fatigué.
Because I have class.	Parce que j’ai cours.
Because I have to study.	Parce que je dois étudier.
Can you explain? informal	Tu peux expliquer ?
Can you explain it to me? formal	Vous pouvez m’expliquer ?
I do not understand why.	Je ne comprends pas pourquoi.

10.2.11. Short Dialogue

A : Pourquoi tu ne viens pas ce soir ?	A: Why are you not coming tonight?
B : Parce que je dois étudier.	B: Because I have to study.
A : Tu peux m’expliquer ?	A: Can you explain it to me?
B : Oui. J’ai un examen demain.	B: Yes. I have an exam tomorrow.

10.2.12. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to ask for explanations with pourquoi, give reasons with parce que, ask someone to explain with tu peux m’expliquer ?, and say that you do not understand with je ne comprends pas.