I think it might have something to do with translating. These "confusing" sets of words are translated as completely different things in portuguese. On the othe

I think it might have something to do with translating. These "confusing" sets of words are translated as completely different things in portuguese. On the other hand, my high school teacher usually used "why" and "because" to explain the difference between "porque" and "por que" in portuguese (and she could, although she didn't, also use "the reason" as an analogy for "o porquê").