I am not sure about this phrase!

Question

I am currently reading a novel- Piratas del caribe y el mapa secreto with my Spanish I students and we are all enjoying it. However, there was a phrase used in two different instances that I am really not sure about:

No tengo porque hablar.

No tengo porque ser pirata.

I am so used to seeing, hearing, and using: No tengo que hablar. (I don't have to talk) or No tengo porque ser pirata (I don't have to because I am a pirate) that these two sentences with porque threw me a little. Are they interchangeable with the sentences with tener que or do they carry a different meaning?

Creo que están mal escritas. Debería ser "por qué" en ambos casos. ¡Bienvenido al foro! :) - Cordobesa, May 3, 2012

Answer 1

el porqué = reason

No tengo porqué hablar. = I dont have a reason to speak

No tengo porqué ser pirata. = I dont have a reason to be a pirate

por qué = why

porque = because

porqué = reason

Check this out

there was no accent on porque- - krueter, May 3, 2012

Nice one Hecho :) I learnt something today. - Kiwi-Girl, May 3, 2012

thanks Kiwi! =D What did I teach you? - Rey_Mysterio, May 3, 2012

I didn't know that el porqué with an accent was a noun too ;) - Kiwi-Girl, May 3, 2012

Answer 2

No tengo porque hablar.

No tengo porque ser pirata.

In cases like these, you will also see ie: "No tengo para que ......" "No hay para que...."