Understanding Coordinating Conjunctions
French coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical importance. They create relationships between ideas without making one subordinate to the other.
The main French coordinating conjunctions are:
Et (and) - addition
Ou (or) - choice/alternative
Mais (but) - contrast/opposition
Donc (so/therefore) - consequence
Car (because/for) - reason
These conjunctions are essential for creating flowing, connected discourse in French.
Examples
Marie et Pierre viennent. (Marie and Pierre are coming.)
Et connects two subjects
Il est intelligent mais paresseux. (He is intelligent but lazy.)
Mais shows contrast
Il pleut donc nous restons. (It's raining so we stay.)
Donc shows consequence
ET - And (Addition)
Et is the most common coordinating conjunction, expressing addition or connection:
Examples
Je mange et je bois. (I eat and I drink.)
Connecting two actions
Marie et Pierre sont amis. (Marie and Pierre are friends.)
Connecting two subjects
Il est grand et fort. (He is tall and strong.)
Connecting two adjectives
ET Usage Patterns
Different ways to use et:
ET Connections
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Pierre et Marie | Pierre et Marie viennent. |
| Verbs | mange et boit | Il mange et boit. |
| Adjectives | beau et intelligent | Il est beau et intelligent. |
| Nouns | livres et cahiers | J'ai des livres et des cahiers. |
ET in Lists
Using et in series:
J'aime les pommes, les poires et les oranges. (I like apples, pears, and oranges.)
Et comes before the last item
Il parle français, anglais et espagnol. (He speaks French, English, and Spanish.)
Languages in a series
ET vs Repetition
When to repeat et vs use once:
Single et: Pierre et Marie (Pierre and Marie)
Repeated et: et Pierre et Marie et Jean (both Pierre and Marie and Jean)
OU - Or (Choice/Alternative)
Ou expresses choice, alternative, or possibility:
Examples
Tu veux du thé ou du café? (Do you want tea or coffee?)
Choice between options
Il viendra lundi ou mardi. (He'll come Monday or Tuesday.)
Alternative days
Prends le bus ou le métro. (Take the bus or the metro.)
Transportation options
OU vs OÙ
Important distinction between ou and où:
Ou (or): Tu veux ça ou ça? (Do you want this or that?)
Où (where): Où vas-tu? (Where are you going?)
OU...OU (Either...Or)
Emphasizing exclusive choice:
Ou tu viens ou tu restes. (Either you come or you stay.)
Ou il réussit ou il échoue. (Either he succeeds or he fails.)
OU in Questions
Using ou in interrogative contexts:
Café ou thé? (Coffee or tea?)
Tu préfères quoi ou quoi? (What do you prefer or what?)
MAIS - But (Contrast/Opposition)
Mais expresses contrast, opposition, or contradiction:
Examples
Il est fatigué mais il travaille. (He is tired but he works.)
Contrasting states and actions
Elle est petite mais forte. (She is small but strong.)
Contrasting physical qualities
J'aime le français mais c'est difficile. (I like French but it's difficult.)
Contrasting feelings and reality
MAIS Usage Types
Different types of contrast with mais:
Opposition: Il est riche mais malheureux. (He is rich but unhappy.)
Correction: Non pas rouge mais bleu. (Not red but blue.)
Concession: Il pleut mais nous sortons. (It's raining but we're going out.)
Restriction: Il vient mais pas longtemps. (He's coming but not for long.)
MAIS vs CEPENDANT
Mais vs more formal alternatives:
Mais: informal/common: Il est tard mais je sors. (It's late but I'm going out.)
Cependant: formal: Il est tard, cependant je sors. (It's late, however I'm going out.)
DONC - So/Therefore (Consequence)
Donc expresses logical consequence or conclusion:
Examples
Il pleut donc je reste. (It's raining so I stay.)
Logical consequence
Je suis fatigué donc je dors. (I'm tired so I sleep.)
Natural conclusion
Tu as raison donc j'accepte. (You're right so I accept.)
Reasoned decision
DONC Placement
Where to place donc in sentences:
Beginning: Donc, tu viens? (So, are you coming?)
Middle: Il pleut donc nous restons. (It's raining so we stay.)
DONC vs ALORS
Distinction between donc and alors:
Donc: logical conclusion: Il est malade donc il reste. (He's sick so he stays.)
Alors: temporal/narrative: Alors, il est parti. (Then, he left.)
CAR - Because/For (Reason)
Car expresses reason or cause (more formal than parce que):
Examples
Il reste car il pleut. (He stays because it's raining.)
Giving a reason
Elle est heureuse car elle a réussi. (She is happy because she succeeded.)
Explaining a state
Nous partons car c'est tard. (We're leaving because it's late.)
Justifying an action
CAR vs PARCE QUE
Distinction between car and parce que:
Car: formal, written: Il reste car il pleut. (He stays for it's raining.)
Parce que: common, spoken: Il reste parce qu'il pleut. (He stays because it's raining.)
CAR Placement
Car typically comes between clauses:
Je suis content car tu es là. (I'm happy because you're here.)
Car connects the main clause to the reason
Other Coordinating Conjunctions
Additional coordinating conjunctions in French:
NI...NI (Neither...Nor)
Expressing double negation:
Il ne mange ni viande ni poisson. (He eats neither meat nor fish.)
Je ne bois ni café ni thé. (I drink neither coffee nor tea.)
SOIT...SOIT (Either...Or)
More formal alternative to ou...ou:
Soit tu viens soit tu restes. (Either you come or you stay.)
Soit lundi soit mardi. (Either Monday or Tuesday.)
OR (Now/But)
Formal conjunction for introducing new information:
Il était malade. Or, il est venu quand même. (He was sick. Now, he came anyway.)
Formal transition in reasoning
Coordinating Conjunction Combinations
How to combine multiple coordinating conjunctions:
Examples
Il est intelligent et travailleur mais parfois paresseux. (He is intelligent and hardworking but sometimes lazy.)
Combining et and mais
Tu peux venir ou rester, mais décide vite. (You can come or stay, but decide quickly.)
Combining ou and mais
Punctuation with Conjunctions
When to use commas with coordinating conjunctions:
Punctuation Rules
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Short clauses | no comma | Il mange et il boit. |
| Long clauses | comma before | Il mange beaucoup, et il boit aussi. |
| Contrast (mais) | often comma | Il est fatigué, mais il travaille. |
| Lists | commas between | Pommes, poires, et oranges. |
Common Coordinating Conjunction Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. OU vs OÙ confusion: Using ou instead of où for location
2. Missing ne with ni: Forgetting negation with ni...ni
3. Wrong conjunction choice: Using car in spoken French instead of parce que
4. Overusing et: Connecting too many clauses with et
Examples
❌ Ou vas-tu? → ✅ Où vas-tu?
Wrong: où (where) has accent, ou (or) doesn't
❌ Il mange ni viande ni poisson → ✅ Il ne mange ni viande ni poisson
Wrong: ni...ni requires ne
❌ Je viens car je veux (spoken) → ✅ Je viens parce que je veux
Wrong: use parce que in spoken French, car in formal writing
❌ Il mange et il boit et il dort et il travaille → ✅ Il mange, boit, dort et travaille
Wrong: avoid repetitive et, use commas in lists