“Because of” in Italian
If you want to talk with some Italian friends about the reason why something happened (or will happen), you will need to know how to say “because of” in Italian.
In this post, we will look at two ways to say “because of” and “due to” in Italian:
- per via di
Ho fatto tardi per via del
I was late because of the traffic.
- a causa di
La pianta è morta a causa del
The plant died because of the cold.
Per via di – a causa di: How to use
These two expressions, which mean “because of” or “due to,” are basically synonyms in Italian and, in most cases, can be used interchangeably.
Ho fatto tardi per via del traffico – Ho fatto tardi a causa del traffico
I was late because of the traffic.
However, per via di has a neutral connotation, meaning that it simply describes the reason why something happened without implying a positive or negative effect: it simply explains a cause-and-effect situation without blaming anything or anyone.
Per via di un altro impegno, non sarò presente alla riunione.
Due to another commitment, I will not be present at the meeting.
A causa di, on the other hand, has a slightly more negative connotation, and it is usually employed to describe a negative effect, with the intention of “blaming” something/someone for it.
Mi sono ammalata a causa del maltempo.
I got ill because of the bad weather.
Per via di – a causa di: Rules
As you may have noticed, we use per via di / a causa di followed by a noun. If the noun is preceded by an indefinite article (un, una, un’, uno), the preposition di stays the same.
A causa di un imprevisto, sono dovuta uscire.
I had to go out due to an unforeseen event.
Ho dato a Luca 10€ per via di una scommessa che avevamo fatto.
I gave Luca 10€ due to a bet we had.
On the other hand, if a noun is followd by a definite article, the preposition di become a preposizione articolata (del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle):
Non siamo riusciti ad arrampicare a causa del maltempo.
We could not climb because of the bad weather.
La strada è chiusa per via dei lavori.
The road is closed due to roadworks.
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