Conjunctions Flashcards
lorsque
“Lorsque” means “when”. It is used to express simultaneity between two actions. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence. When “lorsque” is followed with “un”, “une”, “il”, “elle”, “on” “en”, “à” elision is used.
quoique
although, though
“Quoique” means “even though”, “although”, or “though”. It is used to express opposition. It can be used in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence. It is always followed with a verb in the subjunctive. When “quoique” is followed with “il”, “elle”, “ils”, “elles”, “on”, “en”, or “à” elision is used. Don’t confuse “quoique” which means “even though” with “quoi que” which can have many meanings depending on the context. The most important thing to remember is “quoique” expresses opposition.
comme
as
“Comme” has many meanings. As a conjunction of subordination it means “as”. It is used to express cause. It is usually placed in the beginning of the sentence.
puisque
“Puisque” means “since”. It is used to express cause. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence. When “puisque” is followed with “un”, “une”, “il”, “elle”, “on” “en”, “à” elision is used.
Difference between “comme” and puisque: When expressing cause or justification, “comme” and “puisque” can be used interchangeably. The only difference is that “comme” is usually used in the beginning of the sentence whereas “puisque” can be used in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
si
if
“Si” means “if”. It is used to introduce a condition. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence. When “si” is followed with “il”, or “ils”, elision is used.
que
that
“Que” means “that”. Don’t confuse it with the relative pronoun “que” or the interrogative pronoun “que”.As a subordinate conjunction, “que” introduces a verb clause. It is always in the middle of the sentence. When “que” is followed with “il”, “elle”, “ils”, “elles”, “en” or “à”, elision is used.
à ce que
that, to
“à ce que” means “that” or “to”. It introduces a complement clause. It can only be followed with a few intransitve verbs such as: s’attendre à, tenir à, veiller à, etc… It is used with the subjunctive mode when the verb that precedes it implies insistence, certitude, or doubt.
à condition que
on one condition
“à condition que” means “on the condition that”, and it expresses condition. It is usually followed with a verb in the subjunctive tense.
afin que
in order that
“afin que” means “so that”. It is followed with a verb in the subjunctive tense. It expresses objective or aim. “afin que” is usually used in formal speech or writing and is especially used with the verb “pouvoir” in the subjunctive tense.
ainsi que
as well as
“ainsi que” means “as well as”. It is usually followed with an elliptical clause. Elliptical clauses are clauses in which some words are left out. In this case, it is the verb that’s missing.
For example:
Toute ma famille ira en voyage avec moi ainsi que mes meilleures amies.
All my family will travel with me as well as my best friends.
alors que
though
“alors que” means “whereas”, “while” , “as” or “when” It expresses: opposition, comparison and simultaneity depending on the context in which it is used.
quand
“Quand” means “when”. It is used to express simultaneity between two actions or two states. Don’t confuse it with the interrogative pronoun “quand” which is used to ask questions about time. “Quand” can be placed in the beginning of the sentence and in the middle of the sentence.
à moins que
“à moins que” means “unless”. It expresses condition. It is usually followed with a verb in a subjunctive mode preceded with “ne” which is not to be confused with the negative form “ne pas”. According to most grammarians, the use of “ne” is optional; even though, it seems that it is more common.
au cas où
“au cas où” means “in case”. It is usually followed with the verb in the conditional mode. It expresses a hypothetical situation. It can also be used at the end of the sentence as an elliptical clause.
au point que
“au point que” means “to the point that” or “to the extent that”. It expresses consequence with an idea of intensity. It’s always placed in the middle of the sentence.
aussi bien que
“aussi bien que” means “in the same way as” or “as well as”. It expresses comparaison of equality. It can either be attached to the conjunction of subordination “que” or they can be separated by an indirect object.
aussitôt que
“aussitôt que” means “as soon as”. It is used to express an action which happens/happened or will happen immediately before another one. It can be used in the beginning and in the middle of the sentence.
bien que
“bien que” means “even though”. It’s always followed with the subjunctive mode. It can be used in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.
d’autant plus que
“d’autant plus que” means “all the more since” or “especially since”. It expresses emphasis or insistence. It is used to give a reason that supports the previous idea. It is always placed in the middle of the sentence or in the beginning of a sentence that is directly related to the previous one.
depuis que
“depuis que” means “ since”. It expresses a period of time between a particular past time and the present. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.
comme quoi
“comme quoi” has many translations depending to the context in which it is used. It is very common in speech mainly colloquial speech, but it is also commonly found in writing. It can mean “it’s the proof that”, “attesting”, “pretending” or “that shows”.
dès que
“dès que” means “as soon as”. It expresses an action which happened right before a subsequent action. It can be placed in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
bien que
“bien que” means “even though”. It’s always followed with the subjunctive mode. It can be used in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.
d’autant plus que
“d’autant plus que” means “all the more since” or “especially since”. It expresses emphasis or insistence. It is used to give a reason that supports the previous idea. It is always placed in the middle of the sentence or in the beginning of a sentence that is directly related to the previous one.
depuis que
“depuis que” means “ since”. It expresses a period of time between a particular past time and the present. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.
comme quoi
“comme quoi” has many translations depending to the context in which it is used. It is very common in speech mainly colloquial speech, but it is also commonly found in writing. It can mean “it’s the proof that”, “attesting”, “pretending” or “that shows”.
dès que
“dès que” means “as soon as”. It expresses an action which happened right before a subsequent action. It can be placed in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
jusqu’à ce que
“jusqu’à ce que” means “until”. It is always followed with the subjunctive. It is usually found in the middle of the sentence.
parce que
“parce que” is a very common conjunctive phrase. It means “because” and it is used to express cause. It is followed with a verb in the indicative mode. It is usually found in the middle of the sentence, but sometimes we can find it in the beginning.
pendant que
“pendant que” means “while”. It expresses two actions that are happening, happened or will happen at the same time. It is followed with a verb in the indicative mode. It can be placed in the beginning of the sentence or in the middle of the sentence.
plutôt que
“plutôt que” or “plutôt que de” means “rather than” or “instead of”. It introduces an idea of comparison and suggests a better choice. “plutôt que” can be followed by a verb in the indicative mode. “plutôt que de” is followed with a verb in the infinitive form. When “plutôt que” is followed with a verb phrase, the verb is usually preceded by “ne”. It can be placed in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
pourvu que
“pourvu que” means “if”, “provided that”, “provided” , “on the condition that” or “hopefully”. It introduces a condition. It also expresses a wish. When “pourvu que” expresses a condition, it can be placed in the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. When “pourvu que” expresses a wish it can only be placed in the beginning of a sentence. It is followed with a verb in the subjunctive mode.
