Want to learn more about these phrases, and find out some very formal ways to say “because” in Russian? Check out our post on Russian conjunctions of reason, purpose, result, and concession!
The most common way to say “because” in Russian is to use the phrase потому что[pataMOO shta](because) before a . However, you can also answer the question Почему?[pachiMOO](Why?) using a like из-за[EEZ-za](because of) before a instead. Have a look at the difference:
- Conjunction of Reason:clause
Я стал врачом, потому что всегда хотел помогать людям.
ya stal vraCHOM patamoo shta fsiGDA khaTYEL pamaGAT LYUdyam
I became a doctor, because I always wanted to help people.
- Preposition of Reason:noun phrase
Из-за ураганного ветра все рейсы были отменены.
EEZ-za ooraGAnava vYETra fsye RYEYsy BYli atminiNY
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?
How to say “because” in Russian?
In Russian, we say “because” using of reason, like потому что[pataMOO shta], так как[tak kak], or поскольку[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).
потому что / так каку / поскольку
because
clause
Я изучал русский, потому что меня есть друзья в России.
ya izooCHAL ROOSkiy pataMOO shta / tak kak / paSKOLkoo oo miNYA yest droozYA v raSEEi.
I studied Russian because I have friends in Russia.
Of these three common conjunctions of reason, потому что is probably the most common, while так как and поскольку are slightly more formal.
Tip
How to say “because of” in Russian?
In Russian, you can say “because of” using several different 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[EEZ-za] + genitive case
The preposition из-за[EEZ-za](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 caseИз-за ураганного ветра все рейсы были отменены.
EEZ-za ooraGAnava vYETra fsye RYEYsy BYli atminiNY
Because of hurricane wind, all flights have been canceled.
Это всё из-за тебя!
Eta fsyo EEZ-za tiBYA
It's all because of you!
Из[eez] + genitive case
Из[eez], before a noun in the genitive case, means “out of.” For example:
genitive caseОн согласился участвовать только из любви к искусству.
on saglaSEELsya ooCHASTvavat TOLka eez lyubVEE k ysKOOSTvoo
He agreed to participate only out of his love for arts.
Он опоздал просто из вредности.
on apazDAL PROSta eez VRYEDnasti
He was late just out of spite.
Из is only used with a limited number of nouns for feelings and emotions:
PhraseTranslationиз зависти
eez ZAvisti
out of envy
из любви к
eez lyubVEE k
out of love for
из жалости
eez ZHAlasti
out of pity
из чувства долга
ees CHOOstva DOLga
out of the sense of duty
из ненависти
eez NYEnavisti
out of hatred
из вредности
eez VRYEDnasti
out of spite
из уважения
eez oovaZHEniya
out of respect
из соображений (безопасности)
ees saabraZHEniy (bizaPASnasti)
from (safety) considerations
из (лучших) побуждений
eez (LOOCHshikh) paboozhDYEniy
from the best motives
из расчёта на (прибыль)
eez raSHCHOta na (PREEbyl)
in hope for (profit)
От[at] + genitive case
От[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 caseОт голода и недосыпа я плохо соображал.
at GOlada i nidaSYpa ya PLOkha saabraZHAL
Because of hunger and lack of sleep, I could hardly think.
Блузка потеряла цвет от частых стирок.
BLOOSka patiRYAla tsvyet at CHAStykh STEErak
The blouse lost its color because of frequent washing.
От частых стирок никто ещё не умирал.
at NAsmarka niKTO yiSHCHO nye oomiRAL
No one has ever died from a runny nose.
благодаря[blagadaRYA] + dative case
The preposition благодаря[blagadaRYA](thanks to) is used to introduce a favorable circumstance, which led to a positive result.
dative caseОна получила грант благодаря своим достижениям в спорте.
aNA palooCHEEla grant blagadaRYA svaEEM dastiZHEniyem f SPORtye
She received a grant thanks to her achievements in sport.
по[pa] + dative case
The preposition по[pa] is used to give a cause with a limited number of nouns and phrases in dative, such as:
PhraseTranslationпо ошибке
pa aSHEEPkye
by mistake
по привычке
pa priVYCHkye
out of habit
по неосторожности*
pa niastaROZHnasti
inadvertently
по болезни*
pa baLYESni
due to illness
по семейным обстоятельствам*
pa siMYEYnym apstaYAtilstvam
for family reasons
по состоянию здоровья*
pa sastaYAniyu zdaROVya
for health/medical reasons
*used in formal writing / documents Here’s an example in a sentence:
dative caseПетров пропустил тренинг по семейным обстоятельствам.
pitROF prapoosTEEL NHYEnink pa siMYEYnym apstaYAtilstvam
Petrov missed the training for family reasons.
Important
Most Russian prepositions of reason can be used to form longer phrases that act as Russian conjunctions of reason, and are used before complete clauses instead of nouns. For example:
Preposition | Conjunction |
|---|---|
из-за EEZ-za because of… | из-за того, что EEZ-za taVO shto because of the fact that… |
От at out of... | оттого, что attaVO shto due to the fact that… |
благодаря blagadaRYA thanks to… | благодаря тому, что blagadaRYA taMOO shto thanks to the fact that… |
These are generally more formal than the basic conjunctions of reason we discussed above.
What are some more formal prepositions of reason in Russian?
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:
Preposition | Example |
|---|---|
вследствие FSLYETstvii due to / owing to | genitive case Конференция была перенесена вследствие плохих погодных условий. kanfiRYENtsiya byLA pyerinisiNA FSLYETStvii plaKHIKH paGODnykh oosLOviy The conference was postponed due to bad weather conditions. |
в результате v rizoolTAtye as a result of | genitive case В результате многолетних путешествий и исследований он написал книгу. KNEEga payaVEElas v rizoolTAtye mnagaLYETnikh pootiSHEstviy i isLYEdavaniy As a result of many years of traveling and research he wrote a book. |
ввиду vviDOO in light of, considering | genitive case Ввиду вновь открывшихся обстоятельств, дело было открыто заново. vviDOO vnof atKRYFshikhsya apstaYAtyelstf DYEla BYla atKRYta ZAnava In light of newly discovered evidence, the investigation was opened again. |
в силу f SEEloo due to | genitive case Его не посылали на фронт в силу возраста. yiVO ni pasyLAli na front f SEEloo VOZrasta He was not sent to the front due to his age. |
по причине pa priCHEEnye for the reason of, due to | genitive case Ольга не явилась на работу по причине болезни ребёнка. OLga ni yiVEElas na raBOtoo pa priCHEEnye baLYEZni riBYONka Olga had a no-show at work due to her child’s sickness. |
в связи с f sviZEE s due to | instrumental case В связи с сильными снегопадами, занятия в школах были отменены. f sviZEE s SEELnymi snigaPAdami zaNYAtiya f SHKOlakh BYli atminiNY Due to severe snowstorms, school classes have been canceled. |
Tip
The prepositions in the table above can also be used to create formal conjunctions of reason using structures like we saw above:
вследствие того, что[FSLYETstvii taVO shto](owing to the fact that…)
в результате того, что[v rizoolTAtye taVO shto](as a result of the fact that…)
ввиду того, что[vviDOO taVO shto](considering the fact that…)
в силу того, что[f SEEloo taVO shto](due to the fact that…)
по причине того, что[pa priCHEEnye taVO shto](for the reason that…)
в связи с тем, что[f sviZEE s tyem shto](due to the fact that…)
Conclusion
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!
