What is the difference between parce que, car and puisque?

'Parce que' is the neutral, all-purpose 'because' and the only one of the three that can answer a 'Pourquoi ?' question. 'Car' means much the same but belongs to writing and formal announcements ('Le train est retardé, car…'); it joins two clauses and traditionally doesn't open a sentence. 'Puisque' means 'since / seeing as' and introduces a reason the listener already knows: 'Puisque tu es là, aide-moi.' Using 'puisque' for brand-new information sounds odd.

Is 'du coup' real French, and can I use it in an essay?

It is real and everywhere in spoken French in France. But it is informal filler, so keep it out of essays, cover letters and exams, where 'donc', 'par conséquent' or 'c'est pourquoi' are expected. In Québec 'du coup' is understood but much less used; the local spoken equivalent is 'fait que', often pronounced 'faque': 'J'ai manqué mon bus, faque j'étais en retard.'

Par contre or en revanche — which one should I say?

In speech, say 'par contre': it is normal everyday French in France and fully standard in Québec. 'En revanche' is its formal written twin and the safer choice in a report, an academic text or a professional email in France, where some conservative readers still object to 'par contre' in writing. The meaning is the same.

Which connectors in this deck change the verb form that follows?

'Bien que' is the only one here that requires the subjunctive: 'Bien que ce soit cher…' (and so do its relatives 'afin que' / 'pour que': 'afin qu'il vienne'). 'Même si', 'parce que', 'car', 'puisque', 'comme', 'tandis que' and 'alors que' all take the indicative. 'Afin de' and 'au lieu de' are followed by an infinitive, and 'malgré', 'grâce à' and 'à cause de' by a noun or pronoun, so there is no verb form to worry about.

French Transition Words: 40 Connectors for B1

🇫🇷 French · 40 cards · B1 · by Théo Marchand

These are the words that turn a list of sentences into real French. You get forty connectors here: the ones you hear in every conversation (mais, donc, alors, du coup, bref) and the ones an email or an essay actually needs (cependant, par conséquent, néanmoins).

Three things trip learners up. Register: car looks like parce que, but almost nobody says it out loud. Grammar: bien que takes the subjunctive, même si does not. Geography: I mark where Lyon and Montréal part ways, because du coup and par contre don't land the same way on both sides of the Atlantic.

Learn each card with its sentence, then rewrite one of your own sentences with the connector swapped in.

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How to use this deck

Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.

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All 40 cards

#	French	English	Example
1	mais Neutral: the all-purpose contrast word in speech and writing.	but	C'est joli, mais c'est trop cher pour moi. It's nice, but it's too expensive for me.
2	donc Neutral: works in speech and in writing. The final -c is usually pronounced.	so, therefore	Il pleut, donc on reste à la maison. It's raining, so we're staying home.
3	parce que The default 'because' in speech, and the only one that can answer 'Pourquoi ?'. Elides to 'parce qu'' before a vowel; in fast speech it sounds like 'pasque'.	because	Je suis en retard parce que le métro était bloqué. I'm late because the metro was stuck.
4	alors Very spoken; introduces a consequence or just bridges two ideas. Don't confuse it with 'alors que' (whereas).	so, then	Tu as fini ? Alors on peut partir. You're done? Then we can go.
5	puis Short and neutral; 'et puis' is the everyday spoken version.	then, and then	J'ai mangé, puis je suis allé me coucher. I ate, then I went to bed.
6	ensuite Slightly more explicit than 'puis'; common when listing steps.	next, after that	On visite le musée, ensuite on va au parc. We'll visit the museum, then we'll go to the park.
7	d'abord 'Tout d'abord' is the formal version used in presentations and essays.	first, first of all	D'abord on mange, on décidera après. First we eat, we'll decide later.
8	enfin Careful: on its own in speech, 'enfin…' can also mean 'well…' or 'at last!'	finally, lastly	Et enfin, n'oubliez pas de signer le formulaire. And finally, don't forget to sign the form.
9	par exemple Goes at the start of a sentence or straight after the example. Written abbreviation: 'p. ex.'	for example	Prends un fruit, une pomme par exemple. Take a piece of fruit, an apple for example.
10	en plus Spoken; 'de plus' is the written equivalent. Often used to pile on complaints.	on top of that, what's more	Il fait froid, et en plus il pleut. It's cold, and on top of that it's raining.
11	du coup Extremely frequent in spoken France, informal, avoid in writing. In Québec you'll hear 'fait que' (often pronounced 'faque') instead.	so, as a result	J'ai raté mon bus, du coup je suis arrivé en retard. I missed my bus, so I arrived late.
12	en fait Used to correct or adjust what was just said. The final -t is pronounced (unlike in 'au fait' … where it also is: both sound like 'fèt').	actually, in fact	En fait, je ne savais pas qu'il venait. Actually, I didn't know he was coming.
13	surtout Neutral register. Spoken 'surtout que…' adds a reinforcing reason.	especially, above all	J'aime la montagne, surtout en hiver. I like the mountains, especially in winter.
14	pourtant Marks a contrast you find surprising. In speech 'pourtant' is far more common than 'cependant'.	yet, and yet	Il a beaucoup travaillé, pourtant il a échoué. He worked a lot, yet he failed.
15	quand même Very common in speech; also used alone to express mild indignation: 'Quand même !'	still, anyway, all the same	C'était long, mais c'était quand même intéressant. It was long, but it was still interesting.
16	car Written/formal register (press, announcements). It links two clauses and can't be used alone to answer 'Pourquoi ?' — use 'parce que' there.	because, for	Le vol est annulé, car la tempête arrive. The flight is cancelled, as the storm is coming.
17	puisque Introduces a reason both speakers already know, unlike 'parce que'.	since, seeing as	Puisque tu es là, aide-moi à porter ça. Since you're here, help me carry this.
18	comme Causal 'comme' only works at the beginning of the sentence.	as, since (cause, at the start of a clause)	Comme il n'y avait plus de place, on est repartis. Since there was no room left, we left again.
19	cependant Written register: essays, reports, formal emails.	however	Le projet est intéressant ; cependant, il coûte trop cher. The project is interesting; however, it's too expensive.
20	par contre Everyday spoken French everywhere and completely standard in Québec; in formal writing in France, 'en revanche' is the safer choice.	on the other hand, but then again	Le service est lent, par contre la cuisine est excellente. The service is slow, but the food is excellent.
21	en revanche Formal twin of 'par contre'; typical of written reports. Needs a real contrast between the two ideas.	on the other hand, by contrast	Les ventes ont baissé en Europe ; en revanche, elles ont augmenté en Asie. Sales fell in Europe; by contrast, they rose in Asia.
22	néanmoins Formal and a bit bookish; rare in conversation.	nevertheless	Le rapport est court ; néanmoins, il est complet. The report is short; nevertheless, it is complete.
23	c'est-à-dire Abbreviated 'c.-à-d.' in writing. Keep the hyphens.	that is to say, i.e.	Je viens après-demain, c'est-à-dire samedi. I'm coming the day after tomorrow, that is, Saturday.
24	d'ailleurs Adds a detail that reinforces what you just said. Don't confuse it with 'au fait' (by the way).	besides, in fact (and this proves it)	Elle connaît bien la ville, d'ailleurs elle y a grandi. She knows the city well; in fact, she grew up there.
25	au fait Spoken; introduces a new, unrelated topic.	by the way	Au fait, tu as pensé à appeler ta sœur ? By the way, did you remember to call your sister?
26	bref Very common in speech to cut a long story short. 'En bref' is the written version.	in short, anyway	Bref, on n'a rien décidé. Anyway, we didn't decide anything.
27	finalement Reports an outcome, often an unexpected one. It does not mean 'lastly' in a list — use 'enfin' for that.	in the end, as it turned out	Finalement, on n'est pas partis en vacances. In the end, we didn't go on holiday.
28	par conséquent Formal written equivalent of 'donc'.	consequently	Le dossier est incomplet ; par conséquent, nous le refusons. The file is incomplete; consequently, we are rejecting it.
29	c'est pourquoi Neutral to slightly formal; 'c'est pour ça que' is the spoken version.	that's why, which is why	Les places sont limitées, c'est pourquoi il faut réserver. Seats are limited, which is why you have to book.
30	ainsi Fairly formal. With inversion ('ainsi peut-on dire…') it becomes very literary.	thus, that way	Note tout ; ainsi tu n'oublieras rien. Write everything down; that way you won't forget anything.
31	grâce à For a cause with a positive result; followed by a noun or pronoun, and contracts: 'grâce au beau temps', 'grâce aux voisins'.	thanks to	J'ai trouvé ce travail grâce à une amie. I found this job thanks to a friend.
32	à cause de Implies a negative cause; the positive counterpart is 'grâce à'. Contracts: 'à cause du bruit'.	because of	On est rentrés tôt à cause de la pluie. We came home early because of the rain.
33	malgré Followed by a noun. Before a clause, use 'bien que' + subjunctive or 'malgré le fait que'.	despite, in spite of	Il est sorti malgré le froid. He went out despite the cold.
34	bien que Always followed by the subjunctive.	although	Bien que ce soit cher, je vais le prendre. Although it's expensive, I'm going to take it.
35	même si Followed by the indicative — a useful escape route when 'bien que' + subjunctive feels risky.	even if, even though	Même si tu es fatigué, viens avec nous. Even if you're tired, come with us.
36	tandis que Marks a contrast; can also mean 'while' in time. Takes the indicative; 'alors que' is the more spoken option.	whereas, while	Elle aime le calme, tandis que lui adore la foule. She likes quiet, whereas he loves crowds.
37	afin de Slightly formal version of 'pour' + infinitive. With a clause: 'afin que' + subjunctive.	in order to	Je pars tôt afin d'éviter les bouchons. I'm leaving early in order to avoid the traffic.
38	au lieu de Followed by a noun or an infinitive; contracts: 'au lieu du train'.	instead of	Marche un peu au lieu de prendre la voiture. Walk a bit instead of taking the car.
39	de toute façon Spoken; 'de toute manière' and 'en tout cas' are close synonyms.	anyway, in any case	De toute façon, c'est trop tard maintenant. Anyway, it's too late now.
40	au contraire Reverses a wrong assumption, often used on its own as a reply.	on the contrary	Ça ne me dérange pas, au contraire ! It doesn't bother me — quite the opposite!

Théo Marchand

Native French · Speaks English, Spanish

Born in Lyon, living in Montréal. I write the phrases the way people actually say them on both sides of the Atlantic and mark the difference when it matters.

Published 17 Sept 2026

Questions about this deck

What is the difference between parce que, car and puisque?: 'Parce que' is the neutral, all-purpose 'because' and the only one of the three that can answer a 'Pourquoi ?' question. 'Car' means much the same but belongs to writing and formal announcements ('Le train est retardé, car…'); it joins two clauses and traditionally doesn't open a sentence. 'Puisque' means 'since / seeing as' and introduces a reason the listener already knows: 'Puisque tu es là, aide-moi.' Using 'puisque' for brand-new information sounds odd.
Is 'du coup' real French, and can I use it in an essay?: It is real and everywhere in spoken French in France. But it is informal filler, so keep it out of essays, cover letters and exams, where 'donc', 'par conséquent' or 'c'est pourquoi' are expected. In Québec 'du coup' is understood but much less used; the local spoken equivalent is 'fait que', often pronounced 'faque': 'J'ai manqué mon bus, faque j'étais en retard.'
Par contre or en revanche — which one should I say?: In speech, say 'par contre': it is normal everyday French in France and fully standard in Québec. 'En revanche' is its formal written twin and the safer choice in a report, an academic text or a professional email in France, where some conservative readers still object to 'par contre' in writing. The meaning is the same.
Which connectors in this deck change the verb form that follows?: 'Bien que' is the only one here that requires the subjunctive: 'Bien que ce soit cher…' (and so do its relatives 'afin que' / 'pour que': 'afin qu'il vienne'). 'Même si', 'parce que', 'car', 'puisque', 'comme', 'tandis que' and 'alors que' all take the indicative. 'Afin de' and 'au lieu de' are followed by an infinitive, and 'malgré', 'grâce à' and 'à cause de' by a noun or pronoun, so there is no verb form to worry about.

French Transition Words: 40 Connectors for B1

All 40 cards

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