How French works
Je suis rentré à la maison parce que j'étais fatigué
I went back home because I was tired
Note also the expressions c'est parce que or c'est que, serving to reinforce the explanation being given, usually in a spoken informal context:
Si je suis rentré à la maison c'est parce que j'étais fatigué
If I went back home, it was because I was tired
Parce que can also be used at the beginning of a sentence, with the same sense of comme (see section 1.2 below):
Parce qu'il y avait tellement de candidats, les entretiens ont eu lieu sur 2 journées
Because there were so many applicants, the interviews were held over 2 days
Puisque, like since in English, presents a cause in an emphatic manner, and as such it is often used when expressing opinions, justifying courses of action etc.:
Puisque ça vient de lui, ce doit être vrai
Since it comes from him, it must be true
Comme, however, like as in English, expresses cause in a more neutral manner: as such it used more for making descriptions than for expressing opinions. Note that comme always comes before the main clause :
Comme elle n'avait rien de prévu, nous l'avons invitée chez nous
Nous l'avons invitée chez nous, comme elle n'avait rien de prévu
As she had nothing planned, we invited her to our house
Puisque and comme are often interchangeable:
Puisque Comme j'avais la grippe, je ne suis pas allée au bureau
Since as I had flu, I didn't go into the office
Du moment que: this can mean since or provided that
Du moment que tes devoirs sont finis, tu peux regarder la télé
Since you've finished your homework, you can watch TV
Vu que la nuit tombait, nous sommes rentrés chez nous
Seeing as night was falling, we went home
Etant donné que tu te sens mieux, tu peux maintenant aller à l'école
Seeing as you're feeling better, you can go back to school now
Du fait qu'il ne travaille plus pour la société, il n'a plus de voiture de fonction
Given that he no longer works for the company, he no longer has a company car
This is used mainly in written French to explain a fact already mentioned. It is never used at the beginning of a sentence:
Il n'est jamais allé en Amérique car il a peur de l'avion
He's never been to America as he's afraid of flying
This is commonly used in written French with the same sense of car. Note that it can also have the senses of that is true / indeed and in fact / actually:
J'aime bien ce magasin, en effet, il est pratique et bon marché
I like this store because it's convenient and cheap
- Tu as encore raté le train ce matin? - En effet
"You missed the train again this morning?" "Yes I did"
Ma voiture est en effet plus rapide que la sienne
My car is in fact / actually faster than his / hers
A cause de la neige, l'école est restée fermée
Because of the snow, the school stayed shut
En raison des intempéries, le vol a été annulé
Owing to the bad weather, the flight has been cancelled
A la suite de la publication du livre, les éditeurs ont été assaillis de plaintes
Following the book's publication the publishers were besieged by complaints
Par suite d'encombrement, nous ne pouvons pas faire suite à votre appel
Our lines are busy at the moment - please try again later.
Note the expression suite à which is generally restricted to formal administrative letters:
Suite à votre lettre du 9 mai...
Further to your letter of 9 May...
C'est grâce à sa recommandation qu'il a obtenu le poste
It was because his / her recommendation that he got the job
A l'aide d'un bon manuel, tu pourrais le faire toi-même
With a good manual you could do it yourself
Le procès a été abandonné faute de preuves
The trial was abandonned for lack of evidence
Il a échoué, mais ce n’était pas faute d’avoir essayé
He failed, but it wasn't for lack of trying
This is used to express either repetition or intensity:
A force de travailler, vous réussirez vos examens
If you work hard enough you'll pass your exams
A force de tirer sur le rideau, l'enfant l'a déchiré
The child was pulling so hard on the curtain that he / she tore it
Etant donné son âge, il est étonnant qu'il conduise encore
Given how old he is, it's surprising he's still driving
Vu le temps qu'il faisait, ils ont décidé de rentrer chez eux
In view of the weather, they decided to go home
Compte tenu de la conjoncture actuelle, la banque a augmenté ses taux d'intérêts
In the light of the current economic climate, the bank has increased its interest rates
Il a été critiqué pour son mauvais comportement
He was criticized for his bad behaviour
Il a été critiqué pour ne pas avoir réagi plus vite
He was criticized for not having reacted more quickly
En France les partis politiques recoivent une subvention de l'état, calculée en fonction de leurs résultats aux élections législatives
In France political parties receive a subsidy from the state, calculated according to their performance in the elections to the National Assembly
Les pertes de la société s'expliquent par la chute du cours du dollar
The company's losses can be put down to the fall in the rate of the dollar
Sa mauvaise humeur avait pour cause ses difficultés financières
His her bad mood was caused by his her financial problems
La mauvaise qualité tient le plus souvent à la négligeance
Poor quality is most often due to negligence
Les problèmes qui ont résulté du krach boursier se font toujours sentir
The problems that resulted from the stock exchange crash can still be felt
Ses mauvaises notes sont dues à son manque d'effort pendant l'année scolaire
His her poor marks are due to a lack of effort during the year
Note that there is no conjunction dû à in French as there is in English:
Due to administrative problems, it has been necessary to postpone the meeting
En raison / A cause de problèmes administratifs, il a été nécessaire de reporter la réunion
In fact, the conjunction due to is disliked by some English users: as due is an adjective , technically it should modify a preceding noun, as in inefficiency due to poor management or the problem was due to... Whatever one's English usage, however, it is important to note that dû in être dû à is always an adjective, and therefore cannot be used as a conjunction.
Etant fatigué, j’ai décidé d’aller me coucher
As I was tired, I decided to go to bed
Le syndicat d'initiative étant fermé, j’ai décidé d’aller me renseigner à l’Hotel de Ville
As the tourist office was closed, I decided to ask at the Town Hall
Il s’est cassé la jambe en jouant au football
He broke his leg playing football
Choquée par la violence du film, elle a éteint la télé
Shocked by the violence of the film, she turned the TV off
Lasse de toujours se répéter, elle a décidé de l'écrire au tableau
Tired of always having to repeat herself, she decided to write it down on the blackboard
Cause can be expressed by means of the theme rather than the structure of language. In this case, punctuation can serve to highlight the relationship between two main clauses :
Je l’ai trouvée de bonne humeur: elle venait d’être augmentée
I found her in a good mood: she had just got a pay rise