French Conjunctions (Les Conjonctions)
Conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses. French has two main types: coordinating (joining grammatically equal elements) and subordinating (introducing dependent clauses, often governing mood).
1. Coordinating Conjunctions
Join words or clauses of equal grammatical status. They do not change the mood of the following verb.
| Conjunction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| et | and | du pain et du beurre |
| ou | or | du thé ou du café? |
| mais | but | Je veux venir, mais je suis fatigué. |
| donc | so, therefore | Il pleut, donc je reste. |
| or | now, yet (logical shift) | Or, il n’est pas venu. |
| ni… ni… | neither… nor | Je n’aime ni le café ni le thé. |
| car | for, because (formal) | Je lis, car j’aime les livres. |
Note: or (with no accent) is a logical connective meaning “now” or “yet” in formal argumentation — do not confuse with où (where) or or (gold).
Punctuation: in French, a comma precedes mais and donc when they join two independent clauses. Et and ou generally do not take a comma.
2. Subordinating Conjunctions + Indicative
These introduce dependent clauses where the speaker presents the content as fact or reality. They take the indicative mood.
Cause (Parce que / Puisque / Comme)
| Conjunction | Meaning | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| parce que | because | answers pourquoi?; gives the reason |
| puisque | since, given that | presents reason as known/obvious to both parties |
| comme | since, as (placed at sentence start) | introduces background cause |
Je suis resté parce qu’il pleuvait. — I stayed because it was raining. Puisque tu es là, aide-moi. — Since you’re here, help me. Comme il faisait beau, nous sommes sortis. — Since the weather was nice, we went out.
Time (Quand / Lorsque / Dès que / Après que…)
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| quand | when |
| lorsque | when (literary/formal) |
| dès que / aussitôt que | as soon as |
| pendant que / tandis que | while (simultaneous) |
| depuis que | since (beginning of ongoing action) |
| après que | after (officially indicative — though subjunctive creeping in in speech) |
| jusqu’à ce que | until (subjunctive) |
| avant que | before (subjunctive) |
Je te téléphonerai quand j’arriverai. — I’ll call you when I arrive. (future in both clauses) ***Dès qu’*il est arrivé, il a mangé. — As soon as he arrived, he ate. Depuis que tu es parti, tout a changé. — Since you left, everything has changed. ***Après qu’*il est parti, elle a pleuré. — After he left, she cried.
Important: after quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, if the main verb is in the future, the subordinate clause is also in the future (unlike English “when I arrive”):
Quand tu arriveras, appelle-moi. — When you arrive, call me.
Consequence / Result
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| si bien que | so that (result) |
| de sorte que | so that (result or purpose) |
| de façon que | so that, in such a way that |
| tellement… que | so much… that |
| tant… que | so much… that |
| assez… pour que | enough… for (+ subjunctive) |
| trop… pour que | too… for (+ subjunctive) |
*Il a travaillé tellement dur **qu’*il est épuisé. — He worked so hard that he’s exhausted. Elle parle si vite que je ne comprends rien. — She speaks so fast that I understand nothing.
Comparison
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| comme | as, like |
| ainsi que | just as, as well as |
| de même que | just as |
| plus… que | more… than |
| moins… que | less… than |
| autant… que | as much… as |
Il parle comme un professeur. — He speaks like a teacher. Elle est plus intelligente que lui. — She is more intelligent than him.
Condition (Si)
Si introduces conditional clauses and follows strict tense rules (see french-verb-tenses):
| Condition | Si-clause tense | Main clause tense |
|---|---|---|
| Open (real) | Présent | Futur simple |
| Hypothetical (present) | Imparfait | Conditionnel présent |
| Hypothetical (past) | Plus-que-parfait | Conditionnel passé |
Si tu viens, je serai content. — If you come, I’ll be happy. Si tu venais, je serais content. — If you came, I’d be happy. Si tu étais venu, j’aurais été content. — If you had come, I would have been happy.
Other conditional conjunctions:
- à condition que + subjunctive: Je viendrai à condition que tu sois là.
- pourvu que + subjunctive: *Je serai content **pourvu qu’*il vienne.
- au cas où + conditional: Prends un parapluie au cas où il pleuvrait.
3. Subordinating Conjunctions + Subjunctive
These always require the subjunctive in the clause that follows. See french-subjunctive for the complete trigger list.
Purpose / Goal
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pour que | so that, in order that |
| afin que | so that, in order that |
Je parle lentement pour que tu comprennes. — I speak slowly so that you understand.
Concession / Opposition
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bien que | although |
| quoique | although |
| encore que | although (formal) |
| malgré que | although (informal, disputed) |
***Bien qu’*il soit malade, il continue à travailler. — Although he is sick, he keeps working. ***Quoiqu’*elle ait peur, elle est courageuse. — Although she is afraid, she is brave.
Restriction / Exclusion
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| à moins que | unless |
| sans que | without |
| excepté que | except that (+ indicative) |
*Je viendrai **à moins qu’*il pleuve. — I’ll come unless it rains. Il est parti sans que nous le sachions. — He left without us knowing.
Time (Subjunctive Group)
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| avant que | before |
| jusqu’à ce que | until |
| en attendant que | while waiting for |
*Pars **avant qu’*il arrive. — Leave before he arrives. *Attends **jusqu’à ce qu’*il vienne. — Wait until he comes.
Fear / Precaution
| Conjunction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| de peur que… ne | for fear that |
| de crainte que… ne | for fear that |
*Je pars tôt **de peur qu’*il soit trop tard. — I’m leaving early for fear it will be too late.
4. Coordinating vs. Subordinating: Same English Word, Different French
| English | Coordinating (join clauses) | Subordinating (introduce clause) |
|---|---|---|
| because | car | parce que, puisque |
| so | donc | pour que (so that) + subj. |
| yet / but | mais | bien que + subj. |
| or | ou | ou bien |
5. Que as a Multi-Purpose Conjunction
Que is the most frequent subordinating conjunction in French, introducing:
-
Direct speech reported clauses:
Il dit que tu as tort. — He says that you’re wrong.
-
Verb + subjunctive clauses:
Je veux que tu viennes. — I want you to come.
-
Comparisons:
plus grand que toi
-
Replacer for a repeated subordinating conjunction (to avoid repetition):
*Quand il reviendra **et qu’*il aura le temps… — When he comes back and has the time…