Conjunctions

Classification of Conjunctions

• French conjunctions can be divided into two categories: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions.
• Coordinating conjunctions (conjonctions de coordination) join two equal elements (i.e., words, phrases, or main clauses). They include words like “et” (and), “ou” (or), “mais” (but), “donc” (so), “car” (because), “ni” (nor) and “or” (yet).
• Subordinating conjunctions (conjonctions de subordination) connect a main clause with a subordinate clause. These include words like “que” (that), “quand” (when), “si” (if), “comme” (as), “parce que” (because), “bien que” (although), and “pendant que” (while).

Use of Conjunctions

• Conjunctions are vital for building complex sentences and conveying more nuanced ideas.
• They can show relationships of causality (“car” = because, “puisque” = since), opposition/contrast (“mais” = but, “pourtant” = however), addition (“et” = and, “de plus” = in addition) and hypothesis (“si” = if, “au cas où” = in case).
• For instance, take the sentence: “Il veut aller à la fête, mais il doit étudier” (He wants to go to the party, but he has to study). Here, the coordinating conjunction “mais” is used to create a contrast between two independent clauses.

Conjunctions and Agreement

• Most conjunctions do not affect agreement ruled in French. However, be careful with conjunctions introducing an inversion, like “ainsi que”, “ainsi soit-il”. The subject and the verb have to agree in number and gender after these conjunctions.
• For instance, “Mes frères ainsi que ma sœur sont venus à la fête” (My brothers as well as my sister came to the party). Here, the verb agrees with the subject closest to it (“sœur”).

Remember that conjunctions are highly essential in advancing your fluency and articulation in French, and alike in English, they work as the glue, binding your thoughts and sentences together. So, diverse and accurate use of them will enrich your written and oral expression.