How to say “because” and “because of” in Russian?

The most common way to say “because” in Russian is to use the phrase потому что (transcribed pataMOO shta, meaning “because”) before a clause. However, you can also answer the question Почему? (transcribed pachiMOO, meaning “Why?”) using a preposition like из-за (transcribed EEZ-za, meaning “because of”) before a noun instead. Have a look at the difference:

• Conjunction of Reason:

  clause

  Я стал врачом, потому что всегда хотел помогать людям.

  Transcription: ya stal vraCHOM patamoo shta fsiGDA khaTYEL pamaGAT LYUdyam

  Translation: I became a doctor, because I always wanted to help people.
• Preposition of Reason:

  noun phrase

  Из-за ураганного ветра все рейсы были отменены.

  Transcription: EEZ-za ooraGAnava vYETra fsye RYEYsy BYli atminiNY

  Translation: Because of hurricane wind, all flights have been canceled.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to all the most important ways to say “because” and “because of” in Russian and direct you towards other resources where you can learn more. Let’s see how to talk about reasons and causes in Russian, shall we?

In Russian, we say “because” using conjunctions of reason, like потому что (transcribed pataMOO shta), так как (transcribed tak kak), or поскольку (transcribed paSKOLkoo). Like the English word “because,” these three phrases are only used if the reason “why” is a complete clause (with a subject and a verb).

Of these three common conjunctions of reason, потому что is probably the most common, while так как and поскольку are slightly more formal.

In Russian, you can say “because of” using several different prepositions of reason. In most cases, these words come before a noun in the genitive case, but a few come before a noun in the dative case instead. Let’s have a look!

• Из-за (transcribed EEZ-za) + genitive case

  The preposition из-за (transcribed EEZ-za, meaning “because of”) is used to explain why something bad, negative, or undesirable happened. Often this puts the blame on someone, like in these examples:

  genitive case

  Из-за ураганного ветра все рейсы были отменены.

  Transcription: EEZ-za ooraGAnava vYETra fsye RYEYsy BYli atminiNY

  Translation: Because of hurricane wind, all flights have been canceled.

  Это всё из-за тебя!

  Transcription: Eta fsyo EEZ-za tiBYA

  Translation: It's all because of you!

• Из (transcribed eez) + genitive case

  Из (transcribed eez), before a noun in the genitive case, means “out of.” For example:

  genitive case

  Он согласился участвовать только из любви к искусству.

  Transcription: on saglaSEELsya ooCHASTvavat TOLka eez lyubVEE k ysKOOSTvoo

  Translation: He agreed to participate only out of his love for arts.

  Он опоздал просто из вредности.

  Transcription: on apazDAL PROSta eez VRYEDnasti

  Translation: He was late just out of spite.

  Из is only used with a limited number of nouns for feelings and emotions:

  Phrase	Translation
  из зависти Transcription: eez ZAvisti	out of envy
  из любви к Transcription: eez lyubVEE k	out of love for
  из жалости Transcription: eez ZHAlasti	out of pity
  из чувства долга Transcription: ees CHOOstva DOLga	out of the sense of duty
  из ненависти Transcription: eez NYEnavisti	out of hatred
  из вредности Transcription: eez VRYEDnasti	out of spite
  из уважения Transcription: eez oovaZHEniya	out of respect
  из соображений (безопасности) Transcription: ees saabraZHEniy (bizaPASnasti)	from (safety) considerations
  из (лучших) побуждений Transcription: eez (LOOCHshikh) paboozhDYEniy	from the best motives
  из расчёта на (прибыль) Transcription: eez raSHCHOta na (PREEbyl)	in hope for (profit)

• От (transcribed at) + genitive case

  От (transcribed at), before the genitive case, can mean “out of,” “because of” or “from.” This preposition is also often used with nouns expressing emotions (in which case от and из are often interchangeable), but it can be used with other types of reasons too, such as weather conditions, diseases, and others.

  genitive case

  От голода и недосыпа я плохо соображал.

  Transcription: at GOlada i nidaSYpa ya PLOkha saabraZHAL

  Translation: Because of hunger and lack of sleep, I could hardly think.

  Блузка потеряла цвет от частых стирок.

  Transcription: BLOOSka patiRYAla tsvyet at CHAStykh STEErak

  Translation: The blouse lost its color because of frequent washing.

  От частых стирок никто ещё не умирал.

  Transcription: at NAsmarka niKTO yiSHCHO nye oomiRAL

  Translation: No one has ever died from a runny nose.

• благодаря (transcribed blagadaRYA) + dative case

  The preposition благодаря (transcribed blagadaRYA, meaning “thanks to”) is used to introduce a favorable circumstance, which led to a positive result.

  dative case

  Она получила грант благодаря своим достижениям в спорте.

  Transcription: aNA palooCHEEla grant blagadaRYA svaEEM dastiZHEniyem f SPORtye

  Translation: She received a grant thanks to her achievements in sport.

• по (transcribed pa) + dative case

  The preposition по (transcribed pa) is used to give a cause with a limited number of nouns and phrases in dative, such as:

  *used in formal writing / documents

  Phrase	Translation
  по ошибке Transcription: pa aSHEEPkye	by mistake
  по привычке Transcription: pa priVYCHkye	out of habit
  по неосторожности* Transcription: pa niastaROZHnasti	inadvertently
  по болезни* Transcription: pa baLYESni	due to illness
  по семейным обстоятельствам* Transcription: pa siMYEYnym apstaYAtilstvam	for family reasons
  по состоянию здоровья* Transcription: pa sastaYAniyu zdaROVya	for health/medical reasons

  Here’s an example in a sentence:

  dative case

  Петров пропустил тренинг по семейным обстоятельствам.

  Transcription: pitROF prapoosTEEL NHYEnink pa siMYEYnym apstaYAtilstvam

  Translation: Petrov missed the training for family reasons.

In addition to the everyday prepositions of reason listed above, there are some Russian prepositions of reason that are used exclusively in formal or academic writing. Most (but not all!) are followed by the genitive case. Here they are with examples:

Now you have an arsenal of means to talk about reasons in Russian:

• You can use conjunctions потому что, так как, поскольку, and many others to explain a reason in a sentence.

• You can introduce positive reasons with благодаря, negative ones with из-за, and use some standard phrases with из, от, and по.

• You are familiar with prepositions and conjunctions of reason used in formal writing in Russian.

Now, practice what you’ve learned by downloading the Russian prepositions of reason exercise below!