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Coordinating conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions such as et (and), car (for), ou (or), mais (but), donc
(so), and ni...ni (neither . . . nor) are commonly used to link two or more verbs,
nouns, adverbs, adjectives, or clauses.
Elle a fait la lessive et la vaisselle.
She did the laundry and the
dishes.
Il est allé manger car il avait faim.
He went to eat for he was
hungry.
Elle veut aller au cinéma ou au
She wants to go to the movies
restaurant.
or to the restaurant.
Il avait fini donc il est parti.
He had finished, so he left.
Il ne veut ni nager ni marcher.
He does not want to swim nor
walk.
Elle est fatiguée mais elle veut finir
She is tired but wants to finish
son travail.
her work.
Written French: Making
transitions and written
correspondence
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Subordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions link two clauses. Some conjunctions govern the subjunctive mood.
The following are some commonly used subordinating conjunctions:
alors que
while
pendant que
while
bien que
although
pourvu que
provided that
parce que
because
tandis que
while
Il est parti tôt parce qu’il était pressé.
He left early because he was in a hurry.
Elle dansait alors que/tandis que je chantais. She was dancing while I was singing.
In the following sentences, note that the conjunctions bien que and pourvu que are fol-
lowed by a verb in the subjunctive mood:
Elle a planté des fleurs bien qu’elle n’y
She planted flowers although she does not
connaisse pas grand-chose.
know anything about gardening.
Je te pardonne pourvu que tu ne le
I forgive you provided you do not do this
fasses plus.
again.
30·1
EXERCICE
Complete each sentence with one of the following coordinating conjunctions.
ni / et / donc / mais / car / ou
1. Comme sport, je fais de la marche de la natation.
2. Je n’aime ni courir escalader les montagnes.
3. Pour nager, je vais à la piscine à la plage.
4. J’adore la mer quelquefois les vagues sont trop hautes pour nager.
5. Je vais quand même souvent à la plage je peux toujours y faire de la marche.
6. Je fais beaucoup d’exercice physique, je suis en assez bonne forme.
30·2
EXERCICE
Complete each sentence with one of the following subordinating conjunctions.
alors que / tandis que / parce que / pourvu que / bien que / pendant que
1. Comme sport, Mimi monte et descend l’escalier une ou deux fois par jour
moi, je vais au gym, au parc et à la plage.
2. Mimi croit qu’elle est en forme elle ne soit pas malade.
3. Je ne suis pas contente je sais que Mimi ne fait pas assez d’exercice.
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4. je sois plus âgée et plus raisonnable, Mimi ne m’écoute pas.
5. La plupart du temps Mimi écoute des CD, couchée sur son lit, moi,
j’écoute mon iPod tout en marchant.
6. Je m’inquiète pour Mimi c’est ma petite sœur.
Using adverbs and adverbial conjunctions
Just like coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, adverbs and adverbial conjunctions can
be classified in categories such as adding, contrasting, illustrating, and sequencing ideas.
Addition
It is sometimes good style to use an adverb or adverbial clause such as the following to illustrate
or provide an additional detail in a sentence:
ainsi que
as well as
également also/too
aussi
also/too
encore
still
d’ailleurs besides
L’eau était trop froide pour y nager; il y
The water was too cold to swim in it; also there
avait aussi de grandes vagues.
were big waves.
J’ai apporté les boissons; j’ai également
I brought the drinks; I also made a dessert.
fait un dessert.
Il a nettoyé l’évier mais il y avait encore He cleaned the sink, but still there was some
des débris de verre.
broken glass in it.
Note: Unlike the adverb also, which is often used at the head of a sentence or clause in
English, aussi, également, and encore should never appear at the head of a French sentence but
rather after the verb.
subject + verb +
aussi/encore
Il + avait + encore...
He still had . . .
Elle enseigne le violon ainsi que le piano. She teaches the violin as well as the piano.
Il a rendu le livre; d’ailleurs il ne l’avait
He returned the book; besides he had not
pas lu.
read it.
Note: It is not unusual to use a coordinating conjunction such as et or mais as well as an
adverb to make a transition from one thought to another. Remember that a great majority of
adverbs follow the verb in a French sentence. Consider the following examples:
Il a pris la retraite mais il travaille encore He retired but he still works a little.
un peu.
Il répond au téléphone mais il commande He answers the phone but he also orders office
aussi les fournitures.
supplies.
Contrast
In some instances, adverbs or adverbial phrases such as the following help transition from one
idea to another by establishing a contrast:
au lieu de cela
instead of that
pourtant
yet
cependant
however
malgré tout
in spite of everything/
sinon
otherwise
all the same
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Tu devais surveiller les enfants; au lieu de You were supposed to watch the children;
cela, tu dormais.
instead of that, you were sleeping.
Prends ton petit déjeuner; sinon tu auras Have your breakfast; otherwise you will be
faim.
hungry.
Emphasis
In other instances, adverbs or adverbial phrases such as the following help transition from one
idea to another by adding emphasis to what has already been stated:
bien sûr que of course
en fait
in fact
certainement certainly
naturellement naturally
en effet
indeed
sûrement
surely
Quand on m’a demandé de venir, bien
When they asked me to come, of course I came.
sûr que je suis venue.
Je croyais que c’était l’adresse correcte; en
I thought that it was the correct address; in fact
fait, elle était fausse.
it was wrong.
Quand on l’a insulté, naturellement il s’est When they insulted him, naturally he rebelled.
révolté.
Illustration
Adverbs or adverbial phrases such as the following help transition from one idea to another by
giving an example or an illustration:
autrement dit in other words
par exemple
for example/for instance
en particulier specifically
surtout especially
J’adore les pierres précieuses, par exemple I adore precious stones, for example rubies.
les rubis.
Il dessine beaucoup d’animaux, en
He draws many animals, specifically cats.
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