por la que

Question

I recently wrote a very short paragraph and was corrected, and I am having a hard time making sense of one of the corrections. I wanted to say "The reason he is my best friend is that..."

I said "Pero la razón que es mi mejor amigo es..." and I was corrected to say "Pero la razón por la que es mi mejor amigo"

I am having a hard time with the "extra" words por la. Can someone explain to me why they are used?

Answer 1

Turn the sentence around leslie:

Es mi mejor amigo por ser un hombre amable.

Es mi mejor amigo por la razon de ser ....

La razón por la que es mi mejor amigo...

(by the way, have a look at my exercise on passive, nothing to do with this, jeje, just saying, you are advanced )

Answer 2

Thanks, Heidita, that does make sense. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my native-English brain around that bizarre (to me) phrasing.

I will read your explanation over and over until it "feels" right. That is the best way to learn things like this, in my opinion. Just do it over and over until anything else seems wrong.

I saw your exercise on passive. I am tempted. Hopefully during lunch break... I am supposed to be working now

• jeje, addcitive place - Heidita Mar 7, 2011