B1 · Joining sentences
Conjunctions: bien que, parce que
English lost its subjunctive, so the French list has to be learnt as a list.
At a glance
- Remember
- dès que takes the future; jusqu'à ce que takes the subjonctif.
- Form
- parce qu’il pleutbecause it is raining
- Signal words
- parce que
- bien que
- pour que
- avant que
- avant de
- Trap
- Wrong:On attendra jusqu'à ce qu'elle arrivera.Right:On attendra jusqu'à ce qu'elle arrive.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) tense marker person ending ending for tense and person
| because it is raining | parce qu’il pleut |
| although it is raining | bien qu’il pleuve |
| so that you know | pour que tu saches |
| before he leaves | avant qu’il parte |
| before I leave | avant de partir |
| as soon as he arrives | dès qu’il arrive |
| that I leave | que je parte |
| that you leave | que tu partes |
| that he, she leave | qu’il, qu’elle parte |
| that we leave | que nous partions |
| that you leave (plural, polite) | que vous partiez |
| that they leave | qu’ils, qu’elles partent |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
parce que takes the indicative.
Je suis resté parce qu’il pleuvait.I stayed because it was raining.
bien que and pour que take the subjonctif.
Bien que je sois fatigué, je sors.Although I am tired, I am going out.
Same subject means an infinitive.
Je ferme la fenêtre avant de partir.I close the window before I leave.
après que takes the indicative.
Après qu’il est parti, tout est redevenu calme.After he left, everything went quiet again.
Example sentences
Je prends un parapluie au cas où il pleuvrait.I am taking an umbrella in case it rains.
Il est parti sans que personne le voie.He left without anyone seeing him.
On attendra jusqu’à ce qu’elle arrive.We will wait until she arrives.
Malgré le froid, nous sommes restés dehors.Despite the cold, we stayed outside.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts the present after when, as soon as and until, even about the future: as soon as he arrives, until she comes. French splits that in two. After dès que and quand it uses the future — dès qu'il arrivera — and after jusqu'à ce que it uses the subjonctif — jusqu'à ce qu'elle arrive. One English tense, two French answers, and neither of them is the present.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
One half of these conjunctions takes the indicative and gives no trouble: parce que (because), puisque (since, given that), pendant que(while)dès que(as soon as)même si(even if)alors que(whereas)
The other half takes the subjonctif: bien que and quoique (although), pour que and afin que(so that)avant que(before)sans que(without)à moins que(unless)jusqu'à ce que(until) English marks none of this — although he is and before he leaves look like any other clause — so there is nothing to carry over and the list has to be learnt as a list.
One idea makes it easier to hold. What has not happened yet, or is only being granted, takes the subjonctif. Après que therefore belongs with the indicative, since it did happen, even though French speakers are often heard doing otherwise.
And when both halves share a subject, French drops the clause and uses an infinitive: avant de partir, not avant que je parte; pour finir, not pour que je finisse. English does something similar with the -ing form — before leaving — but in English it is a choice, and in French it is the only option.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: être · pleuvoir · arriver · prendre · partir · attendre · rester · sortir