puesto que vs porque

Question

I read a sentence,"Puesto que el carro está sucio, lo estamos limpiando."

I would like to know:

(1) Can I replace "Puesto que" with "Porque" in the above sentence?

(2) Is there any difference between puesto que and porque?

(3) I look up the online dictionary and it says puesto que means since. So, puesto que can mean both because and starting from the time when in Spanish?

Answer 1

Puesto que, dado que, porque can all be interchanged in the middle of a sentence, but using porque as the first word of a statement would not sound very natural.

However puesto que, dado que, tomando en cuenta que are normally used at the beginning of a sentence.

Interesting, I think it's the same in English. Leading off with "because" just doesn't sound right.. I never really thought of it before. - rogspax, Oct 9, 2013

Hola, JulianChivi. Thanks for your good answer. But how about another meaning of “puesto que”? Can it be used as “since” and add a starting time point behind it? - joygogo, Oct 10, 2013

Joy, in this case we say "desde" / "desde que" ie: "Te he estado esperando desde las ocho" / "Desde que te fuiste no me duermo bien" - 005faa61, Oct 10, 2013

Thank you for giving me two example sentences. Now, I learn two usages from you. Let me add their translation here so that I can know what they mean exactly. 1. I've been waiting for you since 8 o'clock. 2. Since you left, I don't sleep well. - joygogo, Oct 10, 2013

Answer 2

Yes, puesto que can mean porque, or also be a used much like dado que. I have not seen it used in the sense of time that you mention, but it makes sense, and I suspect you are right.

Thanks, Roger! - joygogo, Oct 10, 2013