The diffeence between "Отчего" and "почему"

Both «отчего» and «почему» translate to “why?” in English, but they differ in style, usage, and grammatical behavior. Here's a clear breakdown:

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🔹 1. Meaning & Core Difference

Word	Literal Meaning	Common Use
Почему	“For what reason?”	Neutral, standard way to ask “why?” in modern Russian. Used in all contexts (spoken, written, formal, informal).
Отчего	“From what?” / “Due to what?”	More literary, old-fashioned, or poetic. Often implies cause or origin (like “what caused this?”). Rare in everyday speech.

✅ In 99% of everyday situations, use почему.
📚 Отчего appears in literature, poetry, proverbs, or for stylistic effect.

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🔹 2. Grammatical Behavior

Both introduce why-questions, but they govern different cases in the answer (though this is often invisible in simple sentences):

• Почему → usually answered with prepositional phrases or clauses explaining reason.

  • Почему ты опоздал? — Потому что поезд задержали.
    (Why were you late? — Because the train was delayed.)

• Отчего → historically linked to the genitive case (from от + чего? = “from what?”), and often used when talking about emotions, changes, or causes.

  • Отчего ты грустишь? — Оттого что скучаю по дому.
    (Why are you sad? — Because I miss home.)

💡 Note the paired conjunctions:

• Почему? → Потому что…
• Отчего? → Оттого что…

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🔹 3. Stylistic & Contextual Differences

Context	Почему	Отчего
Spoken Russian	✅ Very common	❌ Rare, sounds odd or theatrical
News, essays, formal writing	✅ Standard	⚠️ Unusual, may sound archaic
Literature / Poetry	Possible	✅ Often used for rhythm or tone
Emotional or philosophical tone	Neutral	✅ Suggests deeper cause or melancholy

Examples:

1. Everyday:
   – Почему свет погас? (Why did the light go out?) ✅
   – ❌ Отчего свет погас? → sounds unnatural.

2. Literary / Emotional:
   – Отчего так больно на душе? (Why does my soul ache so much?) ✅ (poetic)
   – Почему так больно на душе? → grammatically correct but less expressive.

3. Proverb:
   – Отчего волк сыт, а собака голодна? (Why is the wolf fed, but the dog hungry?) ✅ (traditional phrasing)

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🔹 4. Can They Be Interchanged?

• In most modern contexts: NO.
  Using отчего in casual speech sounds unnatural or comically old-fashioned.

• In literature or fixed expressions: sometimes yes, but отчего adds a specific tone.

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✅ Quick Summary:

Feature	Почему	Отчего
Meaning	Why? (reason)	Why? (cause/origin)
Usage	Universal, modern	Literary, poetic, archaic
Answer with	Потому что…	Оттого что…
Daily speech	✅ Yes	❌ Avoid
Books/poetry	Okay	✅ Preferred for style

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💡 Tip for learners: Always use почему unless you’re quoting poetry or aiming for a dramatic effect. Native speakers will understand отчего, but they’ll notice it sounds “bookish.”