25 French Conjunctions: Bring Your Best Sentences Together

It’s your chance to finally converse with a native French speaker and practice some of those French grammar rules you’ve been working on. Things are going well, but you keep having thoughts whose language is beyond your current level of communication. You can break them up, reduce them to simplified versions, but something seems off when compared with how you would communicate them in English. What’s missing? 

Often when learners stumble across this, it’s because they haven’t mastered the ability to communicate complex thoughts via conjunctions. You’ll recognize conjunctions in English as the words that link ideas together. They serve a similar purpose in French. Small but mighty, they can elevate your speech and help your conversations flourish. 

To master them fully, Rosetta Stone offers bite-sized lessons that introduce conjunctions in fun, intuitive ways. Keep reading for more info on these crucial linking words, or jump right into Rosetta Stone for your first lesson! 

What is a conjunction?

Try thinking back to the last conversation you had in English. Now try and imagine that conversation without the use of the words “and,” “but,” “then,” “so,” etc. It would be much harder to understand the meaning, because there is nothing connecting the events or thoughts being discussed. 

These connector words are called conjunctions. Conjunctions are words that clarify the relationship between different elements in a sentence based on factors like: 

• distinction
• parallel importance
• purpose
• causation 

They are words like “and,” “because,” “but,” “then,” “therefore,” and “so.” When skimming an article or advertisement, we tend to overlook them. However, when it comes to communicating detail, conjunctions are essential.

Now consider the figurative conversation you started above with the native French speaker. Let’s assume you’ve moved on to the topic of cultural differences, like the contrast between Anglo/French dining customs, free time, and work. This common topic is a great place to use conjunctions. 

Conjunctions help us determine the degree of similarity between two things. These distinctions not only provide clarity to the fundamental meaning of our thoughts, but they also help us better organize our ideas. Take the two examples below:

• French people commonly eat bread with dinner. Americans usually do not. Americans like eating sandwiches.
• French people commonly eat bread with dinner. Americans however, do not, though they do enjoy eating sandwiches.

Notice how much is clarified by the introduction of the words however and though. In the first example, the second and third sentences seem unrelated (Americans usually do not. Americans like eating sandwiches.) Thanks to the conjunction however, a distinction is drawn that serves two purposes:

• A distinction between French and American bread habits
• The notable difference that, although Americans might not eat bread with dinner, they do frequently eat bread in sandwich form. 

Words like however and though are just a couple of examples that will help us communicate our thoughts and ideas much more clearly in both French and in English. As we advance, learning French conjunctions becomes an inevitability, as they connect thoughts in ways that communicate the speaker’s intent better. 

What are the three types of conjunctions?

We will look at more examples of how conjunctions aid our communication in French. However, as we do, we will introduce three different categories, which include: 

• les conjonctions de coordination (coordinating conjunctions)
• les conjonctions de corrélation (correlative conjunctions)
• les conjonctions de subordination (subordinate conjunctions). 

Below, we’ll explain each category alongside example sentences. 

French coordinating conjunctions

We begin with coordinating conjunctions, as these tend to be the easiest to translate and use. See the table below for a list of coordinating conjunctions in French, followed by example sentences on how to use each one.

Word list for French coordinating conjunctions

French	English
et	and
car	for
donc	therefore
mais	but
ni…ni	neither
or	yet
ou	or

Et

Et is used like “and” in English.

• Je veux faire une promenade et profiter de la nature. = I want to take a walk and enjoy nature.
• J’adore jouer au basket et au football. = I love playing basketball and football.

Car

Car is the English equivalent of “for.” It communicates causality and signifies a logical conclusion of a set of circumstances. 

• Attention aux voitures, car ils conduisent vite dans cette rue. = Pay attention to the cars, for they drive fast on this road.
• Ils n’ont acheté que les choses en promotion car, ils n’avaient pas beaucoup d’argent. = They only bought the things that were on sale for, they didn’t have a lot of money.

Donc

Donc is the equivalent of “therefore” and is similar to car.

• J’ai mal à l’estomac depuis trois jours et je ne sais pas pourquoi. Donc, jeudi je vais chez le médecin. = I’ve been sick to my stomach for 3 days and I don’t know why. Therefore, I’m going to the doctor on Thursday.
• Il mange et dort bien, donc, il est sain. = He eats and sleeps well, therefore, he’s healthy.

Mais

Mais is the equivalent of “but” and is used to introduce distinction or opposition.

• J’ aime ce film, mais je n’aime pas l’acteur qui y joue. = I like this movie, but I don’t like the actor who plays in it.
• Je veux y aller, mais je n’ai pas le temps. = I want to go, but I have no time.

Ni

Ni functions in a similar way to the English “neither … .nor”, when speaking of the negation of two or more items. In this way, one can also consider it as a correlative conjunction.

Notice how it’s used in conjunction with ne. In any given sentence, you can follow the formula: 

ne+ verb + ni + noun + ni + noun

Take a look at how it’s used in the examples below. 

• Je ne mange ni des pommes de terres, ni des frites. = I eat neither potatoes nor fries.
• Je ne bois ni de lait ni de jus. = I drink neither milk nor juice.

Or

Or is the equivalent of the English “yet” in the sense of stating something that is “nevertheless” the case despite contrary circumstances.  

• Il dit qu’il fait de l’exercice. Or, il n’arrive pas à ouvrir le pot de cornichons! = He says he exercises a lot, yet he can’t open the pickle jar!
• Il est persuadé qu’il a raison, or l’évidence témoigne au contraire. = He’s convinced that he’s right, yet the evidence speaks to the contrary.

Ou

Ou is almost entirely interchangeable with the English “or” and indicates a choice between two things.

• Elle nous a dit qu’elle essayerait ou qu’elle demanderait de l’aide des autres personnes. = She told us that she would try or that she would ask others for help.
• Est-ce que tu veux aller à La tour Eiffel ou au Louvre? = Do you want to go to the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre?  

Purpose and use of French coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect components of a sentence. You’ll choose which conjunction to use based on how those components relate to each other, through difference and distinction, negation, or causation.

Difference and Distinction

For example, the sentence je veux faire une promenade et profiter de la nature (I want to take a walk and enjoy nature) makes the distinction between two different desires. The sentence J’aime ce film, mais je n’aime pas l’acteur qui y joue. (I like this film, but I don’t like the actor who plays in it) marks a subtle difference between liking something on one hand, but disliking certain things about it on the other.

Negation of two or more things 

The sentence je ne mange ni de pommes de terres ni de frites specifies the negation of “like”, or the things the speaker does not like.

Causation

The sentence attention aux voitures, car ils conduisent vite dans cette rue (pay attention to the cars, for they drive fast on this road) signifies causation. To understand how it does this, we can simply rephrase the English translation as “It is necessary to pay attention on this road, because the cars drive fast”. Why is it necessary to pay attention on the road? Well, because the cars drive fast! One is causal of the other.

Correlative conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions introduce parallel components in a sentence, such as “You can either go play, or you can go study.” Both “go play” and “go study” are equal in their status as phrases composed of “go + verb” and are both parallel in their role in the sentence of two distinct yet possible choices to be had.  

The same with a sentence such as “You must choose either a red or a blue shirt.” “Red” and “blue” are parallel in their function as adjectives and as possibilities to choose from. Let’s take a look at a couple of more examples in French.

French	English
ni…ni	neither…..nor
ou…ou	either…..or
soit…soit	either…..or

Ni…ni

As we have encountered before, ni is always accompanied by ne + verb + ni + noun + ni + noun. The same rule applies here. It’s the exact same conjunction, just one that can occupy both groups of coordinating and correlative conjunctions.  Note how sometimes the phrase doesn’t always have to start off with ne + verb, but can go in the reverse order of  ni + noun + ni + noun + ne + verb. Consult both examples below.

• Je ne suis ni étudiant ni professeur. = I am neither a student nor a teacher.
• Ni les parcs ni les musées ne sont ouverts. = Neither parks nor museums are open. 

Ou…ou

This construction is primarily used in spoken French and functions as a choice between two things. It’s similar to the English “or” except that it is used twice.

• Vous avez deux choix pour l’entrée, ou la salade ou le gazpacho. = You have two choices of entrées, either the salad or the gazpacho.
• Les candidats doivent maîtriser ou l’arabe ou le farsi. = The candidates must master either Arabic or Farsi.

Soit…soit

Soit is the subjunctive form of être (to be) and indicates uncertainty. Thinking of it as either….or in English is accurate most of the time. Note that soit is considered more proper, and used in writing whereas ou…ou is more informal and primarily used in speech. 

• Il faut que tu choisisses soit la chemise rouge soit la chemise bleue. = You must pick either the red shirt or the blue one.
• Le restaurant est fermé. On peut soit acheter un sandwich, soit cuisiner chez soi. = The restaurant is closed. We can either buy a sandwich or cook at home.

Subordinate conjunctions

Subordinate conjunctions are those that link two clauses together, one of which is dependent upon the other for reason of circumstance, purpose, or condition, among others. Look at the list of examples below to “get a feel” for how subordinate conjunctions are used.

French	English
à condition que	on the condition that
afin que/afin de	so that/ in order to
ainsi que	as well as/just as
au cas ou	In case
comme	like/as
dès que	as soon as
lorsque	when/ while
malgré que	despite/in spite of
parce que	because
pendant que	while
puisque	since/because/seeing as
quand	when
que	that
quoique	even though
si	if
sinon	otherwise/except/if not

À condition que

À condition que conveys one set of circumstances that depend on another, and therefore translates to “on the condition that” in English. Since it depends on a set of uncertain circumstances, it is used with the subjunctive tense and is always structured as à condition que + subject + verb (subjunctive).

• Elle viendra à condition que Marc vienne aussi. = She’ll come on the condition that Marc comes too.
• Je vous le dis à condition que vous le protégiez en tant que secret. = I’ll tell you on the condition that you keep it a secret.

Afin que or Afin de

Afin que is used in the same way as  “so that” in English and is also followed by a subject and verb in the subjunctive tense. 

• On va partir tôt afin qu’on trouve de place. = We’re going to leave early so that we can find a place (to sit).
• Afin que vous compreniez bien le concept, je vais le réexpliquer. = So that you understand the concept well, I’m going to re-explain it.

Afin de is used when followed by an infinitive so as to say “in order to + Inf. Verb”.

• Il a travaillé dur afin de réaliser ce film. = He worked hard in order to make this movie.

Ainsi que

Ainsi que is understood to mean “as well as”or “just as.” 

• Elle a cuisiné du steak ainsi que des frites. = She cooked some steak as well as some fries.
• Ainsi que je l’avais prévu, il a oublié son sac à dos! = Just as I predicted, he forgot his backpack!

Au cas où

Au cas où translates directly to the English phrase “in case” and is used in the same way, namely, to express a hypothetical or uncertain situation, also dependent on circumstances. Note though that the subjunctive tense is not used. It is, however, followed by a subject and verb, the latter of which is usually in the conditional or present tense.

• Prends ton billet au cas où le contrôleur le demande. = Bring your ticket in case the inspector asks for it.
• J’ai apporté mon portable au cas où je m’ennuierais. = I brought my phone in case I get bored.

Comme 

Perhaps the most basic of all the conjunctions—and one that learners acquire the first few days of a French class—comme is used much in the same way as “like” or “as” in English, though it sometimes means “since.” 

• J’aime les films d’horreur, comme <The Conjuring> par exemple. = I like horror films, like “The Conjuring” for example.
• Comme il l’a dit à personne, on ne savait pas qu’il avait des problèmes! = Since he didn’t tell anyone, no one knew he was having problems.

Dès que 

Dès que is the equivalent of “as soon as” in English.

• Je partirai dès que le bus arrivera. = I will leave as soon as the bus arrives.
• On avait acheté des billets dès qu’ils étaient disponibles. = We bought tickets as soon as they were available. 

Lorsque

Lorsque functions like “when” in English in the sense that something is happening simultaneously, immediately after, or before something else.

• Dites-moi lorsque vous avez terminé votre examen. = Tell me when you’ve finished your exam.
• On se dispute lorsqu’il faudrait trouver une solution! = We’re fighting when we should be finding a solution! 

Malgré que

Malgré que can be translated to “despite” or “even though,” as the two examples below will illustrate. But be careful! When used with a verb, the verb must be conjugated in the subjunctive tense. 

• Jean est sorti malgré la pluie. = Jean went out despite the rain.
• Malgré qu’il ait déjà bu de l’eau, il a encore soif. = Even though he already drank some water, he’s still thirsty.

Parce que

Parce que is used in the same way as “because”. Note that it can never come at the beginning of a sentence though.

• Il l’a jeté dans la poubelle parce que c’était gâté. = He threw it in the trash because it was spoiled.
• Il a reçu une bonne note parce que sa dissertation était superbe! = He received a good grade because his essay was superb!

Pendant que

Pendant que functions in the same way as “while” in English, in the sense that two things are happening at once.

• J’étudie pendant que tu conduis. = I’ll study while you drive.
• Il cuisinait pendant qu’elle parlait aux invités. = He was cooking while she talked to the guests.

Puisque

Puisque has various ways of being translated, all of which come down to the English equivalent of “since/because/seeing as”. Consult the examples below.

• Puisque tu es rentré, le chien n’arrête pas de sauter! = Since you’ve returned, the dog hasn’t stopped jumping.
• Puisque personne ne s’intéresse au film, on a décidé de faire un pique-nique au parc!

= Since no one was interested in the movie, we decided to have a picnic in the park instead.

Quand

Quand functions the same way as “when” in English. It reflects the most common sense of the word: the time or moment in which something happens. 

This is the same “when” used in asking when something is going to happen or when something occurred. 

• Je te tiendrai au courant quand je saurai quelque chose. = I’ll inform you when I know something.
• Quand est-ce qu’il va revenir? = When is he coming back?  

Que

Que functions most commonly as the conjunctive use of the English word “that”.  Like the conjunction “that”, it is also followed by a noun and a verb.

• Il t’a dit plusieurs fois que c’est une mauvaise idée! = He told you many times that it’s a bad idea!
• Arnaud! Où est le livre que tu lisais tout à l’heure? = Arnaud! Where is the book that you were reading earlier?

Quoique

Quoique is most commonly understood to mean “even though”. Please note the difference between quoique and quoi que (two words). Quoi que means “whatever” and is followed by a subject and a verb in the subjunctive.

• Nous irons à la piscine, quoique nous préférons la plage. = We will go to the pool, even though we prefer the beach.
• Quoique nous sommes en été, il ne fait pas chaud! = Even though it’s summer, it’s not hot!

Si

Si  translates to “if” and is used almost entirely the same way. For basic “if…then” statements in French, conjugate the verb in the si clause in the present tense, and the verb that follows in either the present, future, or imperative tenses. Note that the clause with si in it does not have to come first.

• Si tu voyages en Chine, tu seras une personne plus mondiale. = If you travel to China, you will be a more worldly person.
• Tu gagneras beaucoup d’argent si tu trouves un bon boulot. = You will earn a lot of money if you find a good job.

Sinon

Sinon has various translations and uses. Sometimes it means the same as “otherwise” in English, and sometimes it translates to its literal meaning of “if not”.

• Reposes-toi bien, sinon tu seras malade. = Rest well, otherwise you’ll be sick.
• Si vous avez déjà reçu votre lettre, il ne faut rien faire. Sinon, il faut contacter l’administration dès que possible. = If you’ve already received your letter, you don’t have to do anything. Otherwise (if not) you’ll have to contact the administration as soon as possible.

Craft even better sentences in French with Rosetta Stone 

Learn these 25 French conjunctions above and you’ll be sure to make your conversation flow more smoothly. Now that you’ve been introduced to them, you’ll notice them much more, so, go ahead and give yourself a good reading comprehension task to put these into practice! 

To expand your language even more, we recommend Rosetta Stone. Each bite-size lesson uses Dynamic Immersion in order to teach you a new language the same way you learned your first one. Plus, its TruAccent speech recognition program helps you master pronunciation, so you can speak confidently from your very first lesson.

With 25 languages to choose from, you can learn French—or Mandarin, Arabic, and Gaelic—at the pace that works for you.

Start learning today!

Written by Micah McCauley

Micah McCauley is a current freelance contributor to Rosetta Stone with years of experience teaching French to non-native speakers. His career spans the U.S., France, and China. He is currently a student and Associate Instructor of French and Francophone Studies at Indiana University of Bloomington. He enjoys composing music, traveling, and learning Spanish in his free time.