Почему? = why? Зачем? = what for?

Почему and зачем are often translated as “why”, however, they have different meaning. Почему (why?) asks about reasons, and зачем is more “what for?”, “what is the purpose of doing that?”. Почему - Why? What’s the reason? Зачем - Why? What’s the purpose?

Почему → причины чего-то (reason why, cause) Зачем → цели, намерения (purpose; what you expect to achieve with that) Used interchangeably in Tatarstan influenced by speakers of other languages. They are not interchangeable in Standard Russian. With people's actions you may often use either. After all, people often do something BECAUSE they have some GOAL in mind. However ("однако"), it is always good to keep in mind this future vs. past distinction. "Почему" is about the past (causes), "зачем" is about the desired future (goal, purpose).

Почему ليه Зачем ليه، عشان ايه مثﻻ اخس عليك يا احمد ! انت نصبت عليا تاني (في الفلوس) ! ليه كده بقى ؟ Зачем же так ? (Почему ты поступаешь со мной так плохо ?) انا بحاول اقولك ان Почему и зачем معناهم حوالى واحد بس فيه فرق بسيط

Почему? - ПРИЧИНА Зачем? - ЦЕЛЬ Learn Russian online www.babylon-project.com