conjunctive phrases

Question 1

de todos modos

Answer 1

en tous cas

Question 2

s’attendre

Answer 2

expect

Je ne m’attendait pas que…

Question 3

it sounds like

Answer 3

ça l’air de..

Question 4

ripe… madura

Answer 4

mûr

Question 5

whatever you want

whichever you want.

Answer 5

tout ce que vous voulez

celui que vous voulez.

Question 6

à ce que

Answer 6

“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. It is followed with a verb in the indicative mode with penser à.

For example:

Je ne m’attends pas à ce qu’il soit parfait. Je veux juste qu’il me traite avec respect.
I don’t expect him to be perfect. I just want him to treat me with respect.

Est-ce que tu as pensé à ce que tu vas faire maintenant que tu n’as plus de travail ?
Did you think about what you’re going to do now that you don’t have a job?

Je veillerai à ce qu’il fasse partie de notre groupe.
I will see to it that he be part of our group.

Ton papa et moi tenons à ce que tu réussisses tes examens. Nous comptons sur toi !
Your dad and I want you to pass your exams. We count on you!

Je vous promets que je veillerai à ce que tout soit fin prêt avant la semaine prochaine.
I promise you that I’ll make sure that everything will be ready by next week.

Question 7

ainsi que

Answer 7

as well as

Question 8

au cas oú tu as

Answer 8

in case you…. CONDITIONAL FOLLOWS

Question 9

au point que

Answer 9

to the point that

Question 10

aussi bien que

Vous savez aussi bien que moi qu’il est inutile de lui parler. Il ne changera pas d’avis.
You know as well as I do that it’s useless to talk to him; he will not change his mind.

Answer 10

as well as….

in the same way…

Question 11

aussitôt que

Answer 11

“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.

For example:

Aussitôt qu’elle termine de faire ses devoirs, elle allume la télé.
As soon as she finishes doing her homework, she switches on the TV.

Question 12

bien que

Answer 12

“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.

For example:

Bien qu’elle soit très gentille quand elle me parle, il y a quelque chose que je n’aime pas en elle.
Even though she is very nice when she talks to me, there is something that I don’t like in her.

Question 13

comme quoi

Answer 13

“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”.

For example:

Le gérant de la salle de gym doit signer un document comme quoi tu y vas trois fois par semaine pour faire de la gym.
The manager of the gym must sign a document that proves that you go there three times a week to work out.

On a reçu trois plaintes comme quoi vous recevez très mal nos clients.
We received three complaints saying that you are rude with our clients.

Elle a finalement trouvé son prince charmant à 65ans. Comme quoi il ne faut jamais désespérer !
She finally found her prince charming at the age of 65 which proves that one should never lose hope.

Il m’a dit comme quoi il ne voulait pas me blesser et que c’était pour cette raison qu’il était parti sans me dire au revoir.
He told me that he didn’t want to hurt me and that’s why he left without saying bye to me.

L’histoire comme quoi il a braqué un banque dans sa jeunesse ne tient pas debout.
The story in which he says that he attacked a bank in his younger years doesn’t make sense.

Question 14

d’autant plus que

Answer 14

“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.

For example:

Nous sommes bien en mesure d’apporter de l’aide aux pays ravagés par la sécheresse d’autant plus que nos réserves en blé et autres denrées alimentaires sont au plus haut niveau.
We are able to lend a helping hand to countries devastated by drought all the more since our reserves in wheat and other food products are in their highest level.

Question 15

depuis que

Answer 15

since

Question 16

dés que

Answer 16

as soon as

Question 17

jusqu’à ce que

Answer 17

“jusqu’à ce que” means “until”. It is always followed with the subjunctive. It is usually found in the middle of the sentence.

For example:

Il est resté avec moi jusqu’à ce que le camion de dépannage soit arrivé.
He stayed with me until the tow truck came.

Question 18

pendant que

Answer 18

“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.

For example:

Pendant que je nettoyais ma chambre, maman me préparait de bons petits plats dans la cuisine.
While I was cleaning up my room, mom was fixing me something good in the kitchen.

Question 19

plutôt que (de)

Answer 19

“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.

For example:

Plutôt que de le condamner, on ferait mieux de l’aider pour qu’il s’en sorte.
Instead of condemning him, we should bail him out of trouble.

Ils me craignent plutôt qu’ils ne me respectent.
They fear me rather than respect me.

Question 20

pourvu que

Answer 20

“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.

For example:

Tu vas réussir tes examens pourvu que tu travailles sérieusement.
You will pass your exams provided you work seriously.

Je vais me lever tôt demain pour courir. Pourvu qu’il ne pleuve pas !
I’ll get up early tomorrow to run. Hopefully, it won’t rain!

Question 21

sans que

Answer 21

“sans que” means “without”. It is followed with a verb in the subjunctive mode. Unlike with “avant que” and “à moins que”, the adverb “ne” (le “ne” explétif) is not used before the subjunctive verb unless the verb of the main clause is negative.

For example:

Pas un jour ne passe sans que son père ne vienne l’embêter.
Not a day goes by that his father doesn’t annoy him.

Question 22

si bien que

Answer 22

“si bien que” means “to the extent”, or “so much that” depending on the context. It introduces a consequence. It is followed with a verb in the indicative mode. “Si bien que” is also used in negative consequences.

For example:

Il a plu si bien que les routes sont impraticables.
It has rained so much that the roads are impassable.

Question 23

tandis que

Answer 23

“tandis que” means “while”, “whilst” or “whereas”. In some sentences it is used to express simultaneity. In others, it introduces opposition. It is followed with a verb in the indicative mode.

For example:

Nous sommes restés deux semaines dans cet hôtel tandis que mes parents y ont passé plus d’un mois.
We spent two weeks at that hotel whereas my parents spent more than a month there.

Tandis que ma mère faisait du porte à porte pour vendre ses tartes aux pommes, mon père passait ses journées à regarder la télé sur son canapé.
While my mother went door-to-door selling her apple pies, my father spent his days watching TV on the couch.

Question 24

tant que

Answer 24

“tant que” means “as long as”. It can express a condition or a period of time. It is always followed with a verb in the indicative mode.

For example:

Vous pouvez rester dans ma maison autant que vous voulez tant que vous ne faites pas de bruit.
You can stay in my house for as much time as you want as long as you keep it quiet.

Question 25

quoique

Answer 25

“quoique” means “though” or “although”. It expresses opposition or an objection made as an afterthought .It is usually followed with a verb in the subjunctive mode. Don’t confuse it with “quoi que” which means “whatever”.

For example:

Quoiqu’il fasse assez chaud aujourd’hui, il porte un pull de laine et une veste en velours.
Even though it’s quite warm today, he wore wool sweater and a velvet jacket.

Question 26

car

Answer 26

“Car” means “because” . It expresses cause or justification. “Car” is not very used in speech. It is always followed with a verb clause.

Je suis arrivée en retard à mon travail ce matin car j’avais raté le train.
I was late for work this morning because I had missed the train.

Question 27

donc

Answer 27

“Donc” means “so”. It expresses a logical consequence. It usually joins two verb clauses of the same nature, but it can also join two words in certain cases.

Je n’étais pas d’accord avec ce qu’il disait donc je suis sortie.
I didn’t agree with what he was saying so I left.

Question 28

or

Answer 28

“Or” can have different meanings depending on the context. It generally expresses opposition or a fact that contradicts what was predicted. It can mean “and yet” or “now”. It links two sentences.

Tu m’as dit que ma montre se trouvait dans la salle de bain. Or elle n’y est pas !
You told me that my watch was in the bathroom, and yet it wasn’t there.

Ma fille me dit toujours que je lui manque. Or elle ne vient jamais me voir.
My daughter always tells me that she misses me. Yet, she never comes to see me.

Question 29

Comme

Answer 29

“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.

Comme tu n’étais pas venu à l’heure, j’ai pris le train sans toi.
As you didn’t show up on time, I took the train without you.

Comme il n’habite pas très loin de mon lieu de travail, je suis passé le voir.
As he doesn’t live very far from my workplace, I went to see him.

Question 30

Puisque

Answer 30

“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.

Puisque je n’ai pas eu de réponse de votre part, j’ai fait ma demande ailleurs.
Since I didn’t get a response from you, I applied elsewhere.

Je ne pouvais pas acheter un billet d’avion puisque je n’avais pas assez d’argent.
I couldn’t buy a plane ticket since I didn’t have enough money.

Question 31

Lorsque

Answer 31

“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.

Lorsqu’on l’a vu, on s’est dit qu’il devait être bien malheureux.
When we saw him, we thought that he must be really unhappy.

Je n’étais pas au courant de l’affaire lorsque je l’ai rencontré.
I didn’t know anything about the matter when I saw him.

Question 32

Quand

Answer 32

“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.

Quand j’ai vu comment elle a réagi quand elle l’a revu, j’ai compris qu’elle l’aimait toujours.
When I saw how she reacted when she saw him, I understood that she still loved him.

Je passerai prendre mes affaires quand j’aurai le temps.
I will come and pick up my stuff when I have the time.

Question 33

Que

Answer 33

“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.

Il est venu me dire qu’il ne pourrait plus travailler pour moi.
He came to tell me that he was no longer able to work for me.

In the example above, “que” is a conjunction of subordination because it is preceded with a verb.

Je veux qu’il comprenne qu’il n’est plus le bienvenu dans ma maison.
I want him to know that he is no longer welcome in my house.

In the example above, “que” here is a conjunction of subordination because it is preceded with a verb.

La robe que tu as mise hier est splendide.
The dress you wore yesterday is gorgeous.

Question 34

Quoique

Answer 34

“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.

Quoique son emploi du temps soit très chargé, il assiste à la plupart des réunions de sa loge.
Although he has a busy schedule, he attends most of his lodge meetings.

Question 35

si

Answer 35

“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.

Si son discours ne te plaît pas, tu peux toujours quitter la salle.
If you don’t like his speech, you can always leave the room.

Question 36

Tant pis, ça fait rien

Answer 36

Never mind