French Coordinating Conjunctions

Conjonctions de coordination


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Coordinating conjunctions are small words that connect two or more grammatically equivalent words or phrases. The connected words might be adjectives, nouns, adverbs, verbs, or even independent clauses; the important thing is that they’re equal and each one serves the same function in the sentence.

Par exemple…

Il est jeune et beau.		He’s young and handsome
Et connects two adjectives: jeune and beau
Veux-tu un café, un thé ou un chocolat ?		Do you want coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Ou is joining three nouns: café, thé, and chocolat
Je l’ai lu, mais je n’ai rien compris.		I read it, but I didn’t understand a thing
Mais is the connection between two equal clauses: je l’ai lu and je n’ai rien compris

car		for, because
donc		so
ensuite		next
et		and
mais		but
ni*		nor
or		now, yet
ou		or
ou bien		or else
plus		plus, and
puis		then

* Ni is a negative coordinating conjunction.

French school kids memorize the seven most common coordinating conjunctions with a mnemonic:

Mais	où	est	donc	Ornicar ?
mais	ou	et	donc	or	ni	car

Emphatic coordinating conjunctions

Some coordinating conjunctions are used in pairs to emphasize the connection.

Coordinating Conjunctions Quiz

Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on the French coordinating conjunctions with this fill-in-the-blanks exercise:

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Related lessons

Coordinating Conjunctions

Conjonctions de coordination