📖LearnModule 8 · Lesson 2 of 30Independent User · CEFR B2, first halfUnit 1 · Causa, consecuencia, finalidad
Gracias a, a causa de, debido a
Module 8 of the free Spanish course (CEFR B2, first half), lesson 2 of 30: Spanish splits its reasons by whether the outcome was good. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's QR.
The words
Spanish
English
Say it
gracias a
thanks to
GRAH-syahs ah
a causa de
because of
ah KOW-sah deh
debido a
owing to
deh-BEE-doh ah
la huelga
the strike
lah WEHL-gah
las obrasplural
the road work
lahs OH-brahs
con retraso
late (delayed)
kohn rreh-TRAH-soh
cerrado
closed
seh-RRAH-doh
dado que
given that
DAH-doh keh
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
La regla · The rule
Spanish splits its reasons by whether the outcome was good. Gracias a means thanks to, and only for a welcome result: gracias a ti, aprobé. A causa de is its opposite number, used when the result is unwelcome: a causa de la huelga, llegué con retraso.
Y también · And also
Debido a is the neutral one the notices use: debido a las obras, la estación está cerrada. All three take a NOUN, not a clause — that is what separates them from porque. For a clause, use dado que (given that) or puesto que.
Ojo · Watch out
gracias a, a causa de and debido a take a NOUN, never a clause: a causa de la huelga. For a clause use porque, dado que or puesto que. And la huelga is the strike — el paro is the same thing in much of Latin America.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the Spanish spelling alone — begin with gracias a.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the Spanish.
Write two sentences of your own that get the watch-out line right, then the two practice pages of workbook lesson 2 in Module 8 are the written half of this page.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The Spanish Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.