Lección 105 · Etapa 9: Conectar ideas
As = when / because
IntermedioForma y uso
As I was leaving, the phone rang. As it was late, we took a taxi.
1.Los dos significados de as
Cuando as introduce una oración (as + sujeto + verbo), suele tener uno de estos dos significados: when / while (“cuando, mientras”) o because (“como, ya que”). El contexto y el tiempo verbal te ayudan a distinguirlos.
| Significado | Suele ir con | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| tiempo (= when / while) | una acción en curso, a menudo en pasado continuo | As I was leaving, the phone rang. |
| causa (= because / since) | un motivo que el oyente conoce o puede adivinar | As it was late, we took a taxi. |
As tiene también otros usos: as a teacher (en calidad de; mira la lección “Like o as”), as tall as (comparaciones). Esta lección trata solo de as cuando une dos oraciones.
2.As = when, while
As indica que dos cosas pasan al mismo tiempo. La acción de fondo, más larga, suele ir en pasado continuo, y la acción corta que ocurre mientras tanto, en pasado simple (mira la lección “Past continuous”). Just as = justo en el momento en que.
As I was walking to work, I saw an accident.
Mientras iba caminando al trabajo, vi un accidente.
The phone rang just as I was getting into the shower.
Sonó el teléfono justo cuando me estaba metiendo en la ducha.
My hands were shaking as I opened the letter.
Me temblaban las manos mientras abría la carta.
As también se usa cuando dos cosas cambian a la vez (“a medida que”):
As we got closer to the beach, we could hear the waves.
A medida que nos acercábamos a la playa, oíamos las olas.
As the evening went on, the restaurant got busier.
A medida que avanzaba la noche, el restaurante se fue llenando.
No uses as para una etapa de tu vida o un periodo largo: When I was a child, I lived in Hue (no: As I was a child…, porque se entendería como “como era niño”).
3.As = because
As (y since) dan un motivo, normalmente uno que el oyente ya conoce o que no es lo principal, como “como” o “ya que” en español. La oración con as suele ir primero. Cuando el motivo es la noticia principal, sobre todo al responder a Why…?, usa because. As con el sentido de “porque” es común en inglés británico; los estadounidenses suelen usar since o because.
As it was a public holiday, the banks were closed.
Como era día festivo, los bancos estaban cerrados.
As you're not busy, could you help me with this box?
Ya que no estás ocupado, ¿me ayudas con esta caja?
We ordered pizza as nobody wanted to cook.
Pedimos pizza, ya que nadie quería cocinar.
Since you're here, let's start the meeting.
Ya que estás aquí, empecemos la reunión. (since = as)
Algunos idiomas combinan “because … so …”. El inglés usa solo una de las dos: As it was late, we took a taxi. / It was late, so we took a taxi. No “As it was late, so we took a taxi”.
4.¿As, when, while o because?
| Se usa para | Ejemplo | |
|---|---|---|
| when | un momento, una acción corta o una etapa de la vida | When I was ten, we moved to Hue. |
| while | durante el tiempo en que pasa otra cosa | Someone called while you were out. |
| as | dos cosas a la vez o que cambian juntas; frecuente en relatos | As the bus pulled away, I realised I'd left my bag. |
| because | el motivo es la noticia principal | I'm late because my alarm didn't go off. |
| as / since | un motivo conocido, a menudo al principio | As it's raining, let's stay in. |
A veces as se puede entender de las dos maneras. Si quieres ser totalmente claro, usa while (tiempo) o because (causa).
As I was cooking, the lights went out.
Mientras cocinaba, se fue la luz. (tiempo)
As I was cooking, I couldn't answer the phone.
Mientras cocinaba / Como estaba cocinando, no pude contestar el teléfono. (tiempo o causa: las dos lecturas son posibles)
As Huy was ill, he stayed at home.
Como Huy estaba enfermo, se quedó en casa. (un estado → causa)
5.Errores frecuentes
As it was late, so we took a taxi.As it was late, we took a taxi.
No uses as y so juntos.
Like it was raining, we stayed home.As it was raining, we stayed home.
Like no puede significar “because”.
As I was a child, I lived in Hue.When I was a child, I lived in Hue.
Para una etapa de la vida, usa when.
As I was cooking, I was cutting my finger.As I was cooking, I cut my finger.
Una acción corta va en pasado simple.
Why did you leave early? — As I felt sick.Why did you leave early? — Because I felt sick.
Para responder a Why, usa because.
Ejemplos
- As I was walking home, it started to rain.
- As it was a holiday, the streets were very quiet.
- As I didn't have any cash, I paid by card.
- Minh arrived as we were having dinner.
