Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words like and, or or because that connect words and groups of words together.

The simplest type of conjunctions in French are used to link individual words or groups of words together. These include some of the commonest words in French such as et (and), ou (or), and mais (but):

Il est rentré chez lui et a allumé la télévision

He went back home and turned on the television

Cette fille est intelligente mais elle ne fait pas assez d'efforts

This girl is clever but she doesn't try hard enough

Nous pouvons regarder la télé ou aller au cinéma

We can watch television or go to the cinema

Certain other types of conjunction in French are more commonly used to links groups of words called clauses . These include quand and lorsque (when) parce que (because), pendant que (while) and vu que (seeing that):

Il n'est jamais allé en Amérique parce qu'il a peur de l'avion

He's never been to America because he's afraid of flying

Lorsque j’étais jeune j'allais souvent au cinéma

When I was young I often went to the cinema

But you need to be careful with this second type of conjunction because they often need to take the subjunctive . Conjunctions needing the subjunctive often end with the word que and include bien que (although), pourvu que (provided that), avant que (before) and pour que (in order that):

Il a réussi à l'examen bien qu'il n'ait pas étudié

He passed the exam even though he didn't revise

Tu peux emprunter mon sèche-cheveux pourvu que tu me le rendes tout de suite!

You can borrow my hair-dryer provided you give it back straightaway!