To express causes, consequences, and goals in French, like in English, we use words such as grâce à(thanks to), donc(so), or afin de(so that), which are called . These are important linking words to be able to discuss what caused or brought about a result, the reason why something is happening and what we are aiming at by doing something.
In this post, we’ll take a look at which specific conjunctions are used to express all that as well as which are more common in writing and which ones are more common in speaking. Knowing some of them will make you sound more fluent!
To express a cause in French, you can use phrases like grace à, à cause de, and more. Let's take a look at some common expressions of cause.
grâce à(thanks to)
Use grâce à+ noun or stressed pronoun when you want to acknowledge a positive situation.
Grâce à ma prof de biologie, j’ai amélioré mes notes.
Thanks to my biology teacher, I improved my grades.
Ma prof de bio est géniale ! J’ai amélioré mes notes grâce à elle.
My biology teacher is great! I improved my grades thanks to her.
Make sure you contract the preposition à with the article of the noun that follows:
preposition + article | combined form | use before… |
|---|---|---|
à + les | aux | plural nouns |
à + l'- | à l’- (no change) | singular nouns beginning with a or |
à + le | au | other singular nouns (masculine) |
à + la | à + la (no change) | other singular nouns (feminine) |
For example:
Grâce aux dons des habitants, nous avons récolté beaucoup d’argent pour creuser de nouveaux puits en Afrique centrale.
Thanks to the donations of the inhabitants, we have collected a lot of money to dig new wells in Central Africa.
à cause de(because of)
We often use à cause de + noun or stressed pronoun in a negative situation, for example, to blame someone or something. (This distinction is important in French, even though the negative connotation may not be clear in the English translation!)
Le FC Nantes a perdu le match à cause du gardien de but qui a reçu un carton jaune.
The Nantes Football Club lost the game because of the goalkeeper who received a yellow card.
However, this can also be used in a neutral situation where you are not making a judgement (you are not blaming anyone or anything).
Je pensais qu’il faisait chaud à cause du soleil mais le vent est glacial !
I thought it was hot because of the sun, but the wind is freezing!
Did you wonder why there is a du (not de) in the examples above? Remember that de also combines with the article that follows it!
preposition + article | combined form | use before… |
|---|---|---|
de + les | des | plural nouns |
de + l'- | de l’- (no change) | singular nouns beginning with a or |
de + le | du | other singular nouns (masculine) |
de + la | de + la (no change) | other singular nouns (feminine) |
en raison de(because of/due to)
Use en raison de+ noun or stressed pronoun for neutral situations.
En raison du risque d’inondation, le maire a demandé à la population de Vernaux de quitter leur domicile.
Due to the risk of flooding, the mayor has asked the population of Vernaux to leave their homes.
parce que + or car + clause ("because" for neutral situations)
Both parce que and car are interchangeable, with car being more often used in writing, as it is more formal. They both answer the question “why.”
J’ai beaucoup de livres en italien parce que j’ai habité à Naples pendant trois ans.
I have many books in Italian because I lived in Naples for three years.
L'histoire de la guerre demeure inconnue car les documents ont été détruits.
The history of the war remains unknown because the records were destroyed.
comme(as/since/because)
Comme can be translated as “as,” ”since,” or “because.” It can only be used at the beginning of a sentence but, unlike parce que, it cannot be used to answer the question “why.” Comme emphasizes the link between the consequence and the result.
Comme je dois partir à l’aéroport à 5h30 demain, je vais me coucher tôt ce soir.
Since I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 am tomorrow, I'm going to bed early tonight.
However, we do not usually use it after the question Pourquoi?(Why?):
Pourquoi tu vas te coucher tôt ?
Why are you going to bed early?
❌Comme je dois partir à l’aéroport à 5h30 demain.
Because I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 am.
Instead answer like this:
✅Parce que je dois partir à l’aéroport à 5h30 demain.
Because I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 am.
Similar expressions to comme are vu que(seeing that) or étant donné que(given that).
ce n’est pas parce que(just because… doesn’t mean…)
This is a common expression used to start a sentence, and it literally means, “it is not because…that…” And it is handy to know if you need to contradict someone!
Tu sors le chien maintenant ?
Are you taking the dog out now?
Ce n’est pas parce qu’il pleut que je ne vais pas sortir le chien !
Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean I’m not going to take the dog out!
Notice that, parce que, car, comme, and even ce n’est pas parce que are all expressions used to express some version of “because.” However, each of these expressions has different rules about where they can be placed in the sentence and whether they can be used to answer Pourquoi ?(Why?):
Can begin a sentence:
parce que ✅
car ❌
comme ✅
ce n’est pas parce que ✅
Can answer the question Pourquoi…?:
parce que ✅
car ❌
comme ❌
ce n’est pas parce que ❌
puisque(as/since/because)
A final way to express “because” is puisque. You should use puisque when the cause is obvious and known by everyone, which is not the case with comme. It justifies the action. Puisque can either be at the beginning of the sentence or link two clauses.
Je ne laisserai pas de pourboire puisque le serveur est désagréable et impoli !
I won’t leave a tip since the waiter is unpleasant and rude!
We’ve created a list with more expressions of cause in French! Now that you know how to express a cause, let’s move on to expressing a consequence.
A consequence is the result of an action or a cause. In French, we introduce a consequence with a conjunction of consequence. Take a look:
Action | Consequence / Result / Fact |
|---|---|
Je vais courir. I’m going to run. | Je porte des baskets. I’m wearing sneakers. |
I can link these two sentences together with a conjunction of consequence:
Je vais courir donc je porte des baskets.
I’m going for a run, so I’m wearing sneakers.
Conjunctions of consequence always come before a clause (not a noun or noun phrase).
The formal conjunction d’où(hence) can come before followed by a noun or noun phrase:
J’ai mal dormi, d’où mon impatience.
I didn't sleep well, hence my impatience.
Let’s have a look at common ways to express a consequence in French:
donc(so)
Donc is the most common way to express a consequence. In fact, I can guarantee you that 90 percent of the time, this is the expression of consequence you will hear!
Ma voisine est partie en vacances, donc j’arrose ses plantes vertes.
My neighbor is away on vacation, so I’m watering her plants.
par conséquent(consequently, as a result, therefore) and alors(so, then)
The conjunction par conséquent is more formal than alors:
Les effets secondaires de ce médicament sont trop dangereux, par conséquent notre laboratoire ne peut le commercialiser.
The side effects of this medicine are too dangerous, therefore our laboratory cannot market it.
Nous avons beaucoup répété alors notre chorale a gagné le concours !
We rehearsed a lot, so our choir won the competition.
Want to sound like a native? Use the informal alors là(so):
Ils étaient en train de m'appeler et tout d’un coup mon portable s’est éteint, alors là, j’ai cru que j’allais péter un câble !
They were calling me and all of a sudden my cell phone went off, so I thought I was going to lose it!
si bien que / à tel point que(so much so that)
These two expressions are more formal.
Le dentiste a compris qu’il s’agissait d’une urgence, si bien qu’il m’a donné rendez-vous cet après-midi.
The dentist understood that it was an emergency, so much so that he gave me an appointment this afternoon.
c’est la raison pour laquelle / c’est pour ça que(this is the reason why)
Although these two expressions mean the same, c’est pour ça que is informal and used in speaking, whereas c’est la raison pour laquelle is more formal.
Le prix des énergies augmente, c’est la raison pour laquelle le pouvoir d’achat des Français diminue.
The price of energy is increasing, this is the reason why the purchasing power of the French is decreasing.
Maman, je suis tombé pendant la récré, c’est pour ça que j’ai troué mon pantalon !
Mom, I fell during recess, that's why I tore a hole in my pants!
There’s one more expression you’ll want to learn…
Sound like a native! du coup(so)
Would you like to learn another expression to sound like a native? In speaking, how about using the fashionable expression du coup(so)! It’s so fashionable that some people use it all the time and seem to have abandoned all the others!
You can use du coup either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. And what makes it extra special 🌟 is that it doesn’t have to be followed by a clause (unlike the others). Where the other expressions must be followed by a full clause, du coup can just tack on to the end of the sentence, like in this first example:
Les gars, on fait quoi du coup ?
So, guys, what are we doing?
Il n’y a plus rien dans le frigo. Du coup, je ne sais pas quoi manger ce soir.
There is nothing left in the fridge, so I don’t know what to eat tonight.
There are many more expressions to express a consequence; some can be used in speaking or writing or both. We’ve created an exhaustive list of expressions of consequence in French and when to use them.
While expressing a consequence reports the result of a previous event or action, expressing a goal gives the ability to emphasize or justify why something is happening. Let’s take a look at some of the common ways to express a goal in French:
pour / afin de(in order to, so that) + infinitive
Use pour or afin de to speak about the goals of someone or something. These two prepositions are followed by an infinitive verb.
Les ours brun se rendent au bord de la rivière pour attraper des saumons.
Brown bears go to the river's edge to catch salmon.
pour que / afin que(in order to, so that) + subjunctive
Use pour que or afin queto speak about the goals of people or animals, with two key points to note:
These expressions are followed by the subjunctive.
There will be two different subjects in the sentence. (If the subjects are the same, use pour/afin de!)
Pouvez-vous remplir ce document afin que je fasse la demande prêt ?
Can you fill out this document so I can apply for the loan?
We’ve listed more phrases you can use to express a goal in French!
When expressing a cause, consequence, or goal in French, keep the following tips in mind:
Expressing a cause |
|
Expressing a consequence |
|
Expressing a goal |
|
Why don’t you practice how to express causes, consequences, and goals in French?
