How to say "because!" in Spanish?

Question

In English when you don't want to give answer or when you don't have answer and a person asks you "why?" some people then answer: "because!". What is corresponding word in Spanish?

I've checked the dictionaries and I saw some translations for the word "because" but I'm not sure if it's for the meaning that I'm talking about.

Answer 1

The Spanish equivalent would be "Porque si" (positive) and, as pointed out by rsanchez, "Porque no" (negative).

For example,

• Why did you do that?
• Because!

would become:

• ¿Por qué hiciste eso?
• Porque sí.

and:

• Why can't I go?
• Because!

would become:

• ¿Por qué no puedo ir?
• Porque no.

Now, there are other ways to express "because!", here are a few examples for its positive variation:

• Porque quiero (Because I want to)
• Porque se me antoja (Because I feel like it, a little rude - rude)
• Porque me da la gana (Because I want to, a little more rude - rude)
• Porque se me pega la gana (Because I want to, with even a more rude tone - rude++)
• Porque se me hincha la gana (Because I want to, with even a more rude tone - rude#)
• Porque yo lo digo (Because I say so, this is a favorite among parents)

Here are a few examples for its negative variation:

• Porque no quiero (Because I don't want to)
• Porque no se me antoja (Because I don't feel like it, a little rude - rude)
• Porque no me da la gana (Because I don't want to, a little more rude - rude)
• Porque no se me pega la gana (Because I don't want to, with even a more rude tone - rude++)
• Porque no se me hincha la gana (Because I don't want to, with even a more rude tone - rude#)
• Porque yo lo digo (Because I say so, this is a favorite among parents)

"Porque yo lo digo" works in both variations, that might be why it is a favorite among parents since it is so versatile.

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Additional note: If you use one of the alternatives don't forget to conjugate to match the tense in which the question has been asked, particularly in the past.

For example,

• Why did you do that?
• Because!

would become (based on the conjugation of the verb "querer"):

• ¿Por qué hiciste eso?
• Porque quise (From "porque quiero")

However, in a future tense variant it is safe to use the present tense:

• Why are you going to do that?
• Because!

would become:

• ¿Por qué vas a hacer eso?
• Porque quiero (Not "porque querré")

Also note that "Porque yo lo digo" can apply as-is, without the need to match the tense.