main cause
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main cause
The most important and decisive reason that leads to a particular event, problem, or condition.
Die Hauptursache für den Stau war ein Unfall auf der Brücke.
The main cause of the traffic jam was an accident on the bridge.
This word is made up of 'Haupt-' (main/chief) and 'Ursache' (cause). The prefix 'Haupt-' means 'most important' or 'central', so the word literally describes the most important cause.
Fehlende Wartung war die Hauptursache des technischen Defekts.
Lack of maintenance was the main cause of the technical defect.
To express what something is the main cause of, the preposition 'für' is used with the accusative. The pattern is: 'die Hauptursache für etwas sein' (to be the main cause of something).
Stress gilt als Hauptursache für viele moderne Krankheiten.
Stress is considered the main cause of many modern illnesses.
Common verbs used with 'Hauptursache' (main cause) are 'sein' (to be), 'gelten als' (to be considered), and 'ermitteln' (to determine/identify). They describe what the cause is or how it is found.
Die Polizei konnte die Hauptursache für den Brand schnell ermitteln.
The police were quickly able to determine the main cause of the fire.
reason / ground
'der Grund' and 'die Hauptursache' both refer to the why behind an event or problem. 'der Grund' is general and can be one of several causes. 'die Hauptursache', on the other hand, names the most important or decisive cause. The word is especially appropriate when there are several possible reasons and one of them has the strongest effect. Learners may confuse the words because a main cause is also a reason. But not every reason is automatically the main cause. For a normal explanation, 'Grund' is enough; for the most important trigger, you say 'Hauptursache'.
Die Hauptursache für den Wasserschaden war ein altes Rohr in der Küche.
The main cause of the water damage was an old pipe in the kitchen.
Wegen des schlechten Wetters hatte mein Bruder einen guten Grund, zu Hause zu bleiben.
Because of the bad weather, my brother had a good reason to stay at home.