Spanish Phrase
¿Por qué están inconscientes?
Meaning
The sentence asks for the reason behind a group of people’s loss of consciousness. It is a direct, neutral‑tone question that can be used in medical, emergency, or everyday contexts when you need to know why someone is not responsive.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re in a hospital, at a sports event, or any situation where a person or several people have fainted or are otherwise unresponsive. It’s appropriate for both formal (doctors, police) and informal (friends, family) settings, though you may soften it with ‘¿Saben por qué…?’ in very casual conversation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Porquéestáninconscientes?
Por qué (question word)
‘Por qué’ is written as two separate words when asking a question meaning ‘why’. It is not the noun ‘el porqué’ (the reason).
Estar (present indicative, 3rd pl.)
‘Están’ is the third‑person plural form of the verb ‘estar’, used for temporary states such as being unconscious.
Inconsciente (adjective, plural)
The adjective ‘inconsciente’ agrees in number with the subject, so it takes the plural ending ‘‑es’ when referring to ‘they’.
Subject‑verb inversion in questions
In Spanish, the verb often precedes the subject in yes/no and wh‑questions, as seen in ‘están inconscientes’.
🗨In Conversation
¿Por qué están inconscientes?
Why are they unconscious?
Se cayó el cable eléctrico y hubo una descarga.
The power cable fell and there was an electric shock.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Porqué están inconscientes?
‘Porqué’ (one word) is a noun meaning ‘the reason’; the question form must be two words: ‘por qué’.
¿Por qué están inconsciente?
The adjective must agree in number with the subject; use the plural ‘inconscientes’ for ‘they’.
¿Por que están inconscientes?
Writing ‘por que’ as two separate words without the accent changes the meaning to ‘for which/that’, not the question ‘why’.
↔Alternatives
¿Por qué no responden?
Why aren't they responding?
¿Qué les ha pasado que están sin sentido?
What happened to them that they are out cold?
¿Por qué están desmayados?
Why are they fainted?
Cultural Tip
In Spanish‑speaking countries, medical professionals often use ‘inconsciente’ to describe a patient who cannot respond, but laypeople may prefer ‘sin sentido’ or ‘desmayado’. When speaking to a doctor, keep the tone formal and avoid slang. Also, remember that the interrogative ‘¿Por qué?’ never takes an accent on the ‘e’ when it functions as a question; the accent only appears in the noun form ‘el porqué’.