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HSK 2.0 Level 2+ HSK 3.0 Level 2+ 6 min read

因为 + Noun for “Because of”

Use 因为 with a short reason, like 因为这件事 or 因为生病, before the verb to say what caused something.

Pattern

因为 + reason，subject + verb; subject + 因为 + reason + verb

The short 因为 phrase goes before the verb: 他因为生病没来, not 他没来因为生病.

他因为生病没来上课。

When to use 因为 + Noun for “Because of”

As a preposition, 因为 means “because of” and is followed by a short reason: a noun (因为这件事) or a short verb phrase (因为生病). The 因为 phrase goes before the main verb, either right after the subject (他因为生病没来) or at the start of the sentence with a comma (因为这件事，她很不高兴). Unlike English, the reason does not come at the end: say 他因为生病没来, not 他没来因为生病.

因为这件事，她很不高兴。

She was very unhappy because of this.

我因为工作，每天很晚回家。

Because of work, I get home late every day.

因为这个老师，我喜欢上了汉语。

Because of this teacher, I came to love Chinese.

因为考试的事，我昨天没睡好。

I didn’t sleep well last night because of the exam.

Common traps

  • Say 他因为生病没来, not 他没来因为生病: the 因为 phrase goes before the main verb, not at the end as in English.
  • Say 我因为生病没去上课, not 我没因为生病去上课: 没 and 不 come after the reason, right before the verb.
  • Use 因为 for a cause and 为了 for a goal: 他因为生病没来, not 他为了生病没来.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

下雨，所以我没去

Because it rained, I did not go. Give the actual reason
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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