How do you know when to use 'pour' or 'pourquoi' in French?

Knowing when to use 'pour' or 'pourquoi' in French can be a challenge, especially for beginners learning the language. 'Pour' is a preposition that is used to indicate the recipient of something or the destination of an action. On the other hand, 'pourquoi' is an adverb that means 'why.'

If you want to express the reason behind an action or the motive for doing something, you would use 'pourquoi.' For example, 'Pourquoi est-ce que tu étudies le français?' means 'Why are you studying French?'

On the other hand, 'pour' is used to indicate the purpose or goal of an action. For example, 'Je vais au magasin pour acheter du lait' means 'I am going to the store to buy milk.'

Another way to think about it is that 'pourquoi' is used to ask a question, while 'pour' is used to answer it.

Pour and pourquoi are two French words that are often confused by learners. They are both pronounced the same way, but they have different meanings and uses.

Pour is a preposition that can be used in a number of ways. It can mean "for," "in order to," "because of," or "toward." For example:

• Je vais au magasin pour acheter du pain. (I'm going to the store to buy bread.)
• J'ai fait ça pour t'aider. (I did that to help you.)
• Je suis fatigué à cause du travail. (I'm tired because of work.)
• Je me dirige vers la maison. (I'm heading towards home.)

Pourquoi is an interrogative adverb that means "why." It is used to ask for the reason or explanation for something. For example:

• Pourquoi es-tu venu ici ? (Why did you come here?)
• Pourquoi as-tu fait ça ? (Why did you do that?)
• Je ne sais pas pourquoi il est parti. (I don't know why he left.)

To summarize, pour is a preposition that can be used in a number of ways, while pourquoi is an interrogative adverb that means "why." Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between the two words:

| Word | Meaning | Usage | |||| | pour | for, in order to, because of, toward | Used to introduce a purpose, reason, or explanation. | | pourquoi | why | Used to ask for the reason or explanation for something. |