Using "que" to mean "because"

Question

Hello! There is something I have noticed in certain Spanish sentences. There is the word "que" where I would have expected to see "porque". It still seems to have the meaning of "because":

• Limpia la pantalla de tu computadora que está un poco sucia. Clean your computer screen because it is a bit dirty.

• No me abraces que acabo de terminar de correr y estoy toda sudada. Do not hug me because I just finished jogging and I’m all sweaty.

***Sentences and translations provided by a native speaker

Can we say that this "que" is short for "porque", or something different? Is it common? It would be fine to use "porque" here too, right? Does the nuance change at all?

Thank you!

Answer 1

In your examples:

Limpia la pantalla de tu computadora que está un poco sucia.

No me abraces que acabo de terminar de correr y estoy toda sudada.

que is used perfectly in lieu of porque. It's just an "apócope" or abbreviation of porque. And they mean exactly the same thing.

I don't think I have ever come across this before. Cada día se aprende algo nuevo. - pescador1, Mar 1, 2011

I learned Spanish from my parents and am realizing a whole bunch of stuff I wasn't aware of. This is a vivid example. - gone, Mar 1, 2011

An apocope is formed by cutting off the end of the word, cutting off the beginning is aferesis. - lorenzo9, Mar 2, 2011

'Aféresis' en español, 'aphaeresis' or 'apheresis' in English. - jlupine, Mar 3, 2011

Answer 2

Yes, in some places they say "que" in place of "porque." It's more common when you're aim is to give just a little more explanation, from what I've seen. It's like a qualifier. I know exactly what you're talking about, and it's pretty common in Spain and Argentina to talk this way, from people I've spoken with.

I think in general, "que" is used in situations where clarification is needed.

Answer 3

You may sometimes use porque to replace que depending on the context. In the first sentence que means that and the second doesn't make much sense. At least not to me. Que can mean several different things, but because is not one of them. In both of your sentences porque seems like a better choice.