French Connectives - Connecteurs logiques


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Connecteurs logiques

French connectives are links: they combine words, phrases, or sentences. Connectives do not constitute a single part of speech, but rather a category of terms including all conjunctions and prepositions as well as certain types of adverbs and pronouns used in this way.

Conjunctions

All conjunctions – both coordinating and subordinating – are, by definition, connectives.

Je veux un chien et un chat.		I want a dog and a cat.
Il a dit qu‘il serait en retard.		He said (that) he’d be late.

Prepositions

All prepositions and prepositional phrases are connectives.

J’habite en France.		I live in France.
Il a réussi grâce à* sa femme.*		He succeeded thanks to his wife.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are connectives between main and relative clauses.

C’est lui qui* a menti.*		He’s the one who lied.
Voici le livre dont* je t’ai parlé.*		Here’s the book I told you about.

Adverbs

Many adverbs of frequency, place, and time are connectives.

Je suis arrivé avant* David.*		I arrived before David.
C’est ici* que nous nous sommes mariés.*		It’s here that we got married.

Types of Connectives

Rather than being sorted by grammatical function as above, connectives are typically grouped by how they are used, what purpose they serve.

Usage / Purpose		Par exemple …

*Addition*		et, de surcroît, en outre
Addition		and, in addition, furthermore

*Alternative*		ou, soit … soit, ne …. ni … ni
Alternative		or, either … or, neither … nor

*But*		pour, afin que, de peur que
Purpose		for, so that, for fear that

*Cause / Justification*		parce que, par conséquent, grâce à
Cause / Justification		because, as a result, thanks to

*Classification*		d’abord, deuxièmement, ensuite
Ranking		first of all, secondly, next

*Comparaison*		comme, de même, plus que
Comparison		like, similarly, more than

*Concession*		malgré, bien que, même si
Concession		despite, even though, even if

*Conclusion*		donc, pour conclure, finalement
Conclusion		so, to conclude, in the end

*Condition*		si, au cas où, pourvu que
Condition		if, in case, provided that

*Conséquence*		en conséquence, c’est pourquoi, de façon que
Outcome		as a result, that’s why, so that

*Explication*		à savoir, c’est-à-dire, autrement dit
Explanation		namely, that is, in other words

*Illustration*		par exemple, notamment, tel que
Example		for example, notably, such as

*Liaison*		en fait, en effet, justement
Link		in fact, indeed, exactly

*Lieu*		ici, devant, au nord
Location		here, in front of, to the north

*Opposition / Restriction*		mais, cependant, sauf
Opposition / Restriction		but, however, unless

*Résumé*		bref, enfin, en somme
Summary		in short, finally, all in all

*Supposition*		à supposer que, dans le cas où, probablement
Supposition		supposing that, in case, probably

*Temps*		avant que, depuis que, quand
Time		before, since, when