Un 5.6
Conjunctions
Conjunctions are extremely useful when trying to connect more than one word or idea together in a sentence. Here, we’ll look at two types of conjunctions: coordinating and subordinating.
Conjunctions – Les conjonctions
In general, conjunctions are words, or groups of words, that connect 2 or more words or ideas in a sentence.
e.g.
|
I work on Mondays and I dance on Tuesdays. |
(two ideas together) |
|
I work on Mondays because I need money. |
(one idea influencing another idea) |
Similarly, in French, conjunctions are used to connect words and ideas in several different ways, some of which may entail different grammatical structures.
e.g.
|
Je travaille le lundi et je danse le mardi. |
I work on Mondays and I dance on Tuesdays. |
|
Je travaille le lundi parce que j’ai besoin d’argent. |
I work on Mondays because I need money. |
Coordinating conjunctions – Les conjonctions coordonnées
Coordinating conjunctions connect words or ideas that are of the same syntactic importance (i.e. the same grammatical level) in the sentence. As such, the connected words or ideas are not dependant on each other (i.e. they can each logically and grammatically exist on their own).
e.g.
|
I like the park and you prefer the bridge. |
(possible to say just ‘I like the park’, or ‘you prefer the bridge’) |
|
I sing, but I don’t dance. |
(possible to say ‘I sing’, or ‘I don’t dance’) |
French coordinating conjunctions operate in a similar manner.
e.g.
|
J’aime le parc et tu préfères le pont. |
I like the park and you prefer the bridge. |
|
Je chante, mais je ne danse pas. |
I sing, but I don’t dance. |
|
Coordinating Conjunctions |
|
|
car |
for; because |
|
donc |
so; therefore |
|
et |
and |
|
mais |
but |
|
ou |
or |
Subordinating conjunctions – Les conjonctions subordonnées
Subordinating conjunctions connect words or ideas that are not of the same syntactic importance. As such, the connected words or ideas have a relationship where one is dependent on the other (i.e. one cannot logically and grammatically exist on its own, especially without losing its original meaning).
e.g.
|
I think that you are correct. |
(possible to say ‘I think’, but not possible to say ‘that you are correct’ without losing some of the original meaning) |
|
I sing because I love music. |
(possible to say ‘I sing’, but not possible to say ‘because I love music’ without losing some of the original meaning) |
Many French subordinating conjunctions operate in a similar manner. There are, however, several subordinating conjunctions that require changes in grammar, but these changes should be learned later on. Nearly all French subordinating conjunctions are made up of combinations with the word ‘que’.
e.g.
|
Je pense que tu as raison. |
I think (that) you are correct. |
|
Je chante parce que j’aime la musique. |
I sing because I love music. |
Be aware that some subordinating conjunctions (e.g. ‘that’) are often implied, but not said, in English. This is not the case in French.
|
Subordinating Conjunctions |
|
|
comment |
how |
|
lorsque |
when |
|
parce que |
because |
|
pourquoi |
why |
|
puisque |
since; as |
|
quand |
when |
|
que |
that |
|
qui |
who |
|
si |
if |
