French Language > Conjunctions

Conjunctions in Groups

It may be somewhat helpful, in learning the conjunctions, to realize that they can be grouped together according to certain principles.

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I. Conjunctions Followed by the Indicative

All conjunctions that are followed by a verb in the indicative fall into one of two groups.

A. Conjunctions Indicating a Causal Relationship

The distinctions between parce que, puisque, and comme used as a conjunction are slight indeed; you need not worry about them. Car is a bit different, since it is the only one of this group that is not a subordinating conjunction (which is to say it can be used in an independent clause.)

parce que = “because”

• Elle ne dit rien parce qu’elle a peur de son mari. (She doesn’t say anything because she is afraid of her husband.)

puisque = “since”

• Puisque vous n’aimez pas la cuisine chinoise, nous dînerons dans un restaurant coréen. (Since you don’t like Chinese food, we’ll dine in a Korean restaurant.)

comme = “as; since”

1. AS: Faites comme vous voulez. (Do as you wish.)
2. SINCE; Comme vous n’aimez pas la cuisine chinoise, nous dînerons dans un restaurant coréen. (Since you don’t like Chinese food, we’ll dine in a Korean restaurant.)

car = “for”

• J’étais sûr qu’il était mort, car sa poitrine avait cessé de se soulever. (I was sure he was dead, for his chest had stopped moving.)
• Ne vous étonnez pas si votre femme vous a reproché sans cause; car les femmes sont volontiers capricieuses. (Don’t be surprised if your wife criticized you without any reason; for women like to follow their whims.)

B. Conjunctions Indicating a Temporal Relationship (Simultaneous or Posterior)

All temporal conjunctions are followed by the indicative, except conjunctions indicating anteriority (beforeness), for which see II.C below.

1. Indicative:
   1. “when” (simultaneous)
      Includes “while,” “whereas,” and “as soon as”
   2.  “after” (posterior)
      Includes “since”
2. Subjunctive:
   1. “before” (anterior)

quand = “when”

• Quand il fera chaud, nous nous abriterons sous les palmiers. (When it’s hot, we’ll take shelter under the palm trees.)

lorsque = “when, whenever”

• Actionnez l’alarme, lorsque les circonstances l’exigent. (Activate the alarm when(ever) the circumstances require it.)

comme = “as” (= “at the same time as”)

• « Comme je descendais des Fleuves impassibles, / Je ne me sentis plus guidé par les haleurs ». (As I was floating down imperturbable Rivers, / I no longer felt guided the haulers.) –Rimbaud

pendant que = “while”

• Vous ne devriez pas parlér au téléphone pendant que vous conduisez. (You shouldn’t talk on the telephone while you are driving.)

alors que = “while; whereas”

• Les membres de la société pourront entrer gratuitement, alors que les non-membres devront payer. (Members of the group will be able to enter for free, whereas non-members will have to pay.)

tandis que = “whereas”

• Ma mère est catholique, tandis que mon père est boudhiste. (My mother is a Catholic, while my father is a Buddhist.)

tant que = “as long as”

• Tant que les armes nucléaires existeront, nous continuerons de protester. (As long as nuclear weapons exist, we will continue to protest.)

aussitôt que = “as soon as”

• Téléphonez-nous aussitôt que vous serez de retour. (Telephone us as soon as you are back.)

dès que = “as soon as”

• Téléphonez-nous dès que vous serez de retour. (Telephone us as soon as you are back.)

après que = “after”

• Nous nous sommes connus après que la guerre avait éclaté. (We got to know each other after the war had broken out.)

depuis que = “since” (= “since the time that”)

• Je ne l’ai pas vu depuis qu’il est revenu. (I haven’t seen him since he returned.)

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II. Conjunctions Followed by the Subjunctive

All other subordinating conjunctions are followed by the subjunctive. Several groupings can be made, after which the exercise loses its usefulness.

A. Concession

The three concessive conjunctions are: bien que, quoique, and encore que.

B. Purpose

afin que = “so that, in order that”

• Il t’a invitée afin que tu ne te sentes pas seule. (He invited you so that you wouldn’t feel alone.)

pour que = “so that, in order that”

• Il t’a invitée pour que tu ne te sentes pas seule. (He invited you so that you wouldn’t feel alone.)

C. Expectation (“Beforeness”)

avant que = “before”

• Nous voulons rentrer avant qu’il ne fasse nuit. (We want to get home before night falls.) ¹

jusqu’à ce que =  “until”

• Nous accomplirons notre consigne jusqu’à ce que notre maître revienne. (We will obey our instructions until our master returns.)

Similarly, attendre que (meaning “to wait until”) is followed by the subjunctive.

• Nous attendrons que le maître revienne. (We will wait till the master returns.)

D. Fear

de peur que = “for fear that” or “for fear lest”

• Nous nous retirerons à pas de loup, de peur qu’il ne nous aperçoive. (We will retire silently, for fear that he may notice us.) ¹

de crainte que = “for fear that” or “for fear lest”

• Nous nous retirerons à pas de loup, de crainte qu’il ne nous aperçoive. (We will retire silently, for fear that he may notice us.) ¹

E. Potentiality

The remaining conjunctions involve conditionality, possibility, or denial.

à moins que = “unless”

• Nous viendrons te chercher à l’aéroport, à moins que tu ne dises le contraire. (We will come get you at the airport, unless you say the opposite.) ¹

pourvu que = “provided that”

• Je te permets de jouer dans le jardin, mon lapin, pourvu que tu ne fasses pas trop de bruit. (I will allow you to play in the garden, muffin, provided you don’t make too much noise.)

à condition que = “on the condition that”

• Nous pique-niquerons sur le gazon, à condition qu’il ne pleuve pas. (We will picnic on the lawn, on the condition that it doesn’t rain.)

non que = “not that”

• Non que nous doutions de votre bonne foi, mais les circonstances ne nous permettent pas de vous soutenir financièrement. (Not that we doubt your good faith, but the circumstances do not allow us to support you financially.)

loin que = “far from it being the case that”

• Loin que ce détail nous surprenne, nous l’acceptons comme tout ordinaire. (Far from this detail surprising us, we accept it as quite ordinary.)

sans que = “without (somebody’s doing something)”

• Paul est parti sans que vous ayons pu lui souhaiter « Bon voyage ». (Paul left without our having been able to wish him a good trip.)

soit que = “whether”

• Soit qu’ils nous aient menti, soit qu’ils nous aient dit la stricte vérité, je ne les écouterai plus. (Whether they lied to us or told us the strict truth, I won’t listen to them any more.)

1. For a discussion of the “ne explétif,” see this language topic: Mostly Meaningless NE Used in Certain Subjunctive Clauses.[↩][↩][↩][↩]

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