Spanish connectors help you build better sentences as well as keep smooth communication. There are many of them. However, some of the most useful are Por esto, Por eso, and Por lo tanto. They are connectors of cause or, in other words, are some Spanish phrases that can help you express cause or the reason why something happened.
In our daily life, it’s quite common to use connectors or expressions of cause. After all, they indeed are essential to talk about consequences or results. Learning how to use Por esto, Por eso, and Por lo tanto is a must-have if you want to improve your Spanish level. Native speakers use these expressions almost every time they need to talk about consequences or results. Then, if you seek to become better and improve your speaking, just keep reading.
How to use Por eso
As we said, you can use Por eso to express the reason why something happened. It could be an action, an event, or anything else. Por eso is the Spanish equivalent of the English phrase “Because of that”. In some situations, you can even use it as an alternative to “For that reason”. Por eso is a conjunctive phrase and, as a result, helps you connect two ideas or phrases.
Por eso will help you introduce an element of consequence. But, that consequence must be about something previously exposed or named. Let’s see some examples below,
Hace mucho frío, por eso no vamos a salir esta noche.
It’s very cold, that’s why we’re not going out tonight.
Entonces por eso fue que no pudo ir conmigo a la fiesta, estaba enfermo.
So that’s why he couldn’t go to the party with me, he was sick.
El examen era difícil y contenía preguntas sobre temas que no se explicaron en clase. Por eso, nadie lo aprobó.
The exam was difficult and contained questions on topics that were not explained in class, so no one passed it.
Hace muchas semanas que dejé de entrenar, por eso, ahora subo las escaleras y me canso.
It’s been many weeks since I stopped training, so now I go upstairs and get tired.
Nosotros tenemos a varios familiares en España, por eso siempre que vamos nos quedamos con alguno de ellos.
We have several relatives in Spain, so whenever we go we stay with one of them.
As you may see, you can place por eso in the middle of the sentence or at the beginning of the sentence. Depending on its place, you’ll need to use two commas or just one comma. When placing por eso in the middle of the sentence, it works as an apposition.
How to use por esto
Por esto is pretty similar to Por eso. In fact, you can use them for the same purpose. The difference between these two expressions is that Por esto is a demonstrative referring to something known at a relatively short distance. Por eso, on the other side, is more general or refers to a longer distance.
Por esto is similar to the English expression “because of this” while Por eso is “because of that”. Here are some examples,
Vas a sufrir por esto, así que prepárate.
You are going to suffer from this, so be prepared.
Tuvimos una discusión muy fuerte, es por esto que decidí terminar con él.
We had a very strong argument, which is why I decided to break up with him.
Por esto, just like Por eso, is a good alternative not only for colloquial conversations but also for formal talks. When placed at the beginning of the sentence, it still needs to be followed by a comma. For example,
Por esto, renuncie al empleo. No me pagan lo suficiente y querían que trabajara horas extras. That’s why I quit my job, they don’t pay me enough and they wanted me to work overtime.
Finally, you can por esto together with nouns. Generally, Spanish speakers use it with the noun “razón”. In that case, you’ll need to change “esto” for “esta” and build the phrase “Por esta razón”. Let’s have a look at the examples below.
Camila y Sofia son primas y se la llevan muy bien, por esta razón pasan mucho tiempo juntas.
Camila and Sofia are cousins and they get along very well, which is why they spend a lot of time together.
Mi equipo estará entrenando toda la temporada y por esta razón esperamos ganar el torneo.
My team will be training all season and for this reason we hope to win the tournament.
How to use Por lo tanto
Por lo tanto, apart from helping you to express consequences, it’s a good alternative to express conclusions. Por lo tanto is a pretty common phrase and it’s among the best choices when you’re in a business environment. It will help you show how confident you are about what you’re saying. Therefore, people will think that what you say is based on facts.
Just like Por eso and Por esto, Por lo tanto will refer to an action or event previously mentioned. Similarly, por lo tanto can help you connect two sentences or ideas. Here are some examples.
La maestra no fue a la escuela hoy pues estaba enferma. Por lo tanto, hoy no tenemos deberes que realizar para mañana.
The teacher did not go to school today because she was sick. So today we have no homework to do for tomorrow.
No estoy de acuerdo con lo que dijo el candidato. Por lo tanto no lo votaré.
I do not agree with what the candidate said. Therefore I will not vote for it.
In summary, when you want to explain the causes of actions, whether ours or others, you can use Por esto, Por eso, and Por lo tanto. Por lo tanto is the best alternative you can use during formal conversations. Then, there’s por esto. After, there’s por eso. On the flip side, don’t forget that the main difference between Por eso and Por esto is that you use them depending on the distance or the generality of the matter. Por lo tanto is just to add information or consequence.