French Transition Words: A Key to Improve Your Communication
Learn the most useful transition words in French, with lists and examples.
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The use of French transition words is an important part of the elegant and sophisticated French writing tradition. Perhaps more than other languages, French has developed a set of standards that should be followed to make writing not only more fluent and clear, but also more elegant. The use of transition words, or connectives, belongs to these standards, but it is also essential to express meaning clearly.
We use connectives all the time when we speak in order to connect sentences and ideas and explain things. However, transition words are especially useful in writing, to give texts a clear structure, to build logical and believable arguments, and to connect ideas properly. Ça va sans dire (it goes without saying), transition words are especially important when writing essays in French!
Knowing a variety of transition words and being able to use them correctly will significantly improve your ability to express ideas clearly, both in speaking and writing, and to better communicate in French.
In this article, we provide a selection of the most useful French transition words and phrases, presented with example sentences to put them in context.
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French transition words and phrases
Transition words are called ‘connecteurs’ in French. Transition words in French are used to connect sentences and parts of the text according to the links between those elements. These can be, for example, links that express a cause, consequence, additional idea, explanation, and so on. Connectives can thus be grouped according to their function or the idea that they express.
We will present a group of transition words in each section of this article with a table. In each table you will find the French transition words, the English equivalent (or equivalents), examples in French with an English translation, and tips on how to use them, when needed.
Transitions of addition
Among the most basic French transition words are the ones that express the idea of addition. In English this function is covered by words like ‘and,’ ‘moreover’ and ‘as well as.’
French transition words list: addition
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| et | and | J’ai acheté du pain et des légumes. I bought some bread and some vegetables. |
| de plus | moreover, what is more |
Il a perdu la clé. De plus, il n’y avait personne à la maison. He lost his key. What’s more, there was nobody at home. |
| de même que | as well as | Elle a invité sa famille de même que ses amis. She invited her family as well as her friends. |
Transitions of contrast
The transition words in this group are extremely common, and they are used to contrast two parts of a sentence or text. In English, these are words like ‘but,’ ‘however’ and ‘though.’
French transition words list: contrast
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ou | or | Tu préfères du thé ou du café? Would you rather have tea or coffee? |
| mais | but | J’ai répondu à sa question, mais il n’a pas compris. I answered his question, but he did not understand. |
| pourtant, cependant | yet | Elle avait tant travaillé et cependant (or et pourtant) elle n’a pas eu son diplôme. She had worked a lot, and yet she didn’t get her diploma. |
| par contre | though, however | Elle est normalement très aimable. Par contre, cette fois, elle a été grossière. She is normally very nice. This time she’s been rude, though. |
| tandis que, alors que |
while, whereas | J'aime avoir une vie tranquille, alors que ma femme est toujours occupée. I like to have a quiet life, whereas my wife is always busy. |
| D’un côté… De l’autre côté… |
On one hand… On the other hand… | D’un côté, j’aime mon nouveau boulot. De l’autre côté, je le trouve un peu stressant. On one hand, I love my new job, but on the other hand, I find it a little stressful. |
| soit … soit… | either … or… | Nous boirons soit du vin, soit de la bière. We’ll drink either wine or beer. |
Transitions showing cause
The transition words in this section are used to indicate that one thing causes another. In English, these are words like ‘because’ and ‘since.’
French transition words list: cause
| French | English | Example | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| parce que, car |
because | Nous ne sortons pas parce qu’il pleut. We’re not going out because it’s raining. Je suis fatigué, car je n’ai pas bien dormi. I am tired because I haven’t slept well. |
When you use ‘parce que’ and ‘car,’ you introduce the consequence first and then the cause. ‘Car’ is preceded by a comma. ‘Parce que’ is shortened to ‘parce qu’ before a vowel. |
| puisque, comme |
since | Puisque (or Comme) vous n’avez pas compris la règle, je vais la répéter. Since you haven’t understood the rule, I am going to repeat it. |
‘Puisque’ and ‘comme’ have the same meaning as ‘parce que’ and ‘car,’ but they have to be placed at the start of a sentence. When you use ‘puisque’ and ‘comme,’ you introduce the cause first and then the consequence. |
Transitions showing aim or purpose
These transition words are used to explain the purpose or goal of an action, similar to the connectives ‘to,’ ‘in order to’ and ‘so that’ in English.
French transition words list: aim or purpose
| French | English | Example | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| pour | to | Je vous écris pour vous remercier. I am writing to thank you. |
‘Pour’ is followed by an infinitive. |
| afin de, dans le but de |
in order to | Il est sorti par une porte secondaire afin d'éviter la foule. He left by a backdoor in order to avoid the crowd. |
‘Afin de’ and ‘dans le but de’ are followed by an infinitive. |
| afin que, pour que |
so that | Je vous donne un autre exemple pour que vous compreniez mieux. I will give you another example so that you understand better. |
‘Afin que’ and ‘pour que’ are followed by a subjunctive. |
Transitions to show a consequence
This set of connectives is used to explain a consequence – in English, these are words like ‘so,’ ‘as a consequence’ and ‘therefore.’
French transition words list: consequence
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| donc, alôrs |
so | Je n’ai pas mangé, donc j’ai faim. I didn't eat, so I'm hungry. |
| par conséquent, en conséquence |
as a consequence | J’ai perdu ma carte d’identité, par conséquent je n’ai pas pu voter. I lost my ID card; as a consequence, I couldn't vote. |
| c’est pourquoi, voila pourquoi |
this is why | Tu conduis très mal, c'est pourquoi je ne veux plus voyager avec toi. You drive very badly – this is why I don't want to travel with you anymore. |
| de manière que, de sorte que |
therefore | Elle n’a pas beaucoup travaillé, de sorte qu’elle a raté son examen. She didn't do much work; therefore she failed her exam. |
| à tel point … que, tellement … que |
so much that | Il a tellement neigé qu’on ne peut pas sortir de la maison. It has snowed so much that we cannot leave the house. |
Transitions of time
This group of transition words is used to show time relationships between two sentences or parts of a sentence.
French transition words list: time
| French | English | Example | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| quand | when | Quand il pleut, je préfère ne pas sortir. When it rains, I prefer not to go out. |
|
| pendant que, tandis que |
while | Je vais terminer mes exercices pendant que tu prépares le dîner. I will finish my exercises while you prepare dinner. |
|
| au moment de |
at the time of | Au moment de payer, il s’est aperçu qu’il avait oublié son portefeuille. When it was time to pay, he realized that he had forgotten his wallet. |
|
| avant de |
before | Il m’a demandé mon avis avant de prendre une décision. He asked for my opinion before making a decision. |
‘Avant de’ is used when the subject of the two clauses is the same (like ‘il’ in this example). It is followed by an infinitive. |
| avant que | before | Je dois ranger avant que les invités arrivent. I have to tidy up before the guests arrive. |
‘Avant que’ is used when the subjects of the two clauses are different (like ‘je’ and ‘les invités’ in this example). It is followed by a subjunctive. |
| dès que | as soon as | Dès que tu seras arrivé, appelle-moi s’il te plaît. Call me as soon as you have arrived. |
|
| après | after | Les enfants feront la sieste après avoir déjeuné. The children will nap after eating. |
‘Après’ is used, without any preposition, when the subject of the two clauses is the same (‘les enfants’ in this example). It is followed by a past infinitive (like ‘avoir déjeuné’). |
| après que | after | J'ai commencé à travailler après que le chef m'a donné les détails du projet. I started working after the manager gave me the details of the project. |
‘Après que’ is used when the subjects of the two clauses are different (like ‘je’ and ‘le chef’ in this example). It is followed by an indicative. |
Transitions to make a list or put events in order
These words and phrases are typically used to indicate a succession of events. Another important function of these transition words is to create a list or series, which is essential to writing an essay and especially to organizing an argument.
French transition words list: succession or listing
| English | French | Example |
|---|---|---|
| d’abord, tout d’abord, avant tout |
first, first of all |
Aujourd’hui on va tout d’abord discuter du bilan de l’entreprise. Today we will first of all discuss the statement of account for the business. |
| ensuite | afterwards | Ensuite, nous vous présenterons le nouveau directeur. Afterwards, we will introduce you to the new manager. |
| premièrement, en premier lieu |
firstly, first |
Voici les règles de la maison. Premièrement, il ne faut pas introduire d’animaux. Here are the rules of the house. First, pets are not allowed inside. |
| deuxièmement, en deuxième lieu |
second | Deuxièmement, il ne faut pas faire de bruit après 22 heures. Second, you mustn’t make noise after 10 pm. |
| finalement, enfin |
finally | Enfin, il faut nettoyer la maison avant de partir. Finally, you must clean the house before leaving. |
Transitions of concession
This set of transition words express the idea of concession, which means that they introduce a point that seems to weaken the main idea, but then provide another contrasting point that supports the main idea.
French transition words list: concession
| French | English | Example | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| même si | even if | On vous laissera entrer même si vous êtes en retard. We will let you in even if you’re late. |
‘Même si’ is followed by an indicative. |
| quand-même | all the same, anyway | Vous êtes en retard, mais on vous laissera entrer quand-même. You’re late, but we will let you in anyway. |
|
| bien que | even though | Bien qu’il soit très fatigué, il continue de travailler. Even though he is tired, he keeps working. |
‘Bien que’ is followed by a subjunctive. |
| malgré, en dépit de |
despite | Malgré son mauvais caractère, il a su se faire accepter par ses collègues. Despite his difficult character, he managed to be accepted by his colleagues. |
‘Malgré’ and ‘en dépit de’ are always followed by a noun. ‘Malgré’ is more informal, while ‘en dépit de’ is more formal. |
Transitions of comparison
The transition words introduced in this section are useful to explain and illustrate a point.
French transition words list: comparison
| French | English | Example | Notes on usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| c’est-à-dire | that is | L'élection aura lieu le 23 juillet, c’est-à-dire après-demain. The election will take place on the 23rd of July, that is, the day after tomorrow. |
|
| par exemple | for example, for instance |
Il y a beaucoup de manières de se tenir en forme, par exemple faire du yoga et bien s’alimenter. There are many ways to keep yourself in good shape, for example, doing yoga and eating well. |
‘Par exemple’ can be shortened to ‘par ex.’ or ‘p.ex.’ |
| notamment | notably | Les réseaux sociaux, notamment Instagram and Tik Tok, sont très populaires parmi les jeunes. Social networks, notably Instagram and Tik Tok, are very popular with young people. |
|
| entre autres | among others | Nous avons visité plusieurs villes en Italie, entre autres Milan, Turin et Venise. We have visited several cities in Italy, among which are Milan, Turin and Venice. |
To wrap up
In conclusion, being able to use a variety of transition words is essential to achieving effective communication in both spoken and written French. Whether you need to connect ideas, express contrast, or list the points of an argument, French transition words will allow you to structure and express your ideas clearly.
In this article we’ve provided you with the most useful sets of connectives. By mastering these, you can enrich your language repertoire and make your French smoother and more sophisticated.
Don’t stop here – it’s time to transition to something new!
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