English uses because for almost every causal connection, with since, as, and for as occasional alternatives. French splits the same job across at least eight conjunctions, and choosing the right one tells the listener three things at once: how formal the situation is, whether the speaker is treating the cause as new information or as something the listener already knows, and where the cause sits in the structure of the argument. None of these conjunctions take the subjunctive — they all introduce factual causes, which the indicative handles. The challenge is not mood; it is choosing among them.
This page goes through parce que, puisque, car, comme, étant donné que, vu que, du fait que, and sous prétexte que — each with its register, its information-flow profile, and the contexts where it is the natural choice.
parce que — the workhorse (because)
Parce que is the default. It is neutral in register, used in spoken and written French, and can answer the question pourquoi? (why?) on its own.
Je rentre tôt parce que je suis fatigué.
I'm going home early because I'm tired.
Pourquoi tu pleures? — Parce que j'ai peur.
Why are you crying? — Because I'm scared.
Le restaurant est fermé parce que c'est dimanche.
The restaurant is closed because it's Sunday.
The cause introduced by parce que is new information — the speaker assumes the listener does not already know the reason. This is what distinguishes it from puisque.
Position of parce que
Parce que can appear in three positions:
- After the main clause (the most common): Je rentre parce que je suis fatigué.
- Before the main clause for emphasis: Parce que je suis fatigué, je rentre. This is less common and slightly literary.
- As a one-word answer: Pourquoi? — Parce que. (the equivalent of English Just because.)
Pourquoi tu ne veux pas venir? — Parce que. Voilà.
Why don't you want to come? — Just because. End of story.
Elision
When the next word starts with a vowel, the e of que elides: parce qu'il, parce qu'elle, parce qu'on.
Il a raté le train parce qu'il s'est levé tard.
He missed the train because he got up late.
puisque — known reason (since, given that)
Puisque introduces a cause that the speaker treats as already known to the listener — or as obvious from the context. It is logically more emphatic than parce que: the speaker is not informing you of the cause, they are using a shared assumption to justify a conclusion.
Puisque tu es là, aide-moi à porter ces cartons.
Since you're here, help me carry these boxes.
Puisqu'il pleut, on va prendre la voiture.
Since it's raining, we'll take the car.
Puisque tu insistes, je vais accepter.
Since you insist, I'll accept.
The English equivalent is usually since in its causal sense, or given that. Because would not work here — because you're here would imply that you being here is news, when in fact it is a shared fact the speaker is referencing to draw a conclusion.
parce que vs puisque: the test
Ask yourself: am I telling the listener something new, or am I appealing to something they already know?
- Je pars parce qu'il est tard. — I'm telling you why I'm leaving. The lateness is information.
- Puisqu'il est tard, je pars. — We both already know it's late. I'm using that as a justification.
Position
Puisque prefers the sentence-initial position. Putting it after the main clause is grammatical but feels less natural.
Puisque tu connais Paris, tu peux nous guider.
Since you know Paris, you can show us around.
car — formal explanation (for, because)
Car is a coordinating conjunction (so it links equal clauses, not strictly subordinator territory) but it has the same job semantically: explaining why. It is formal — common in writing and elevated speech, rare in casual conversation.
Le concert sera annulé, car le chanteur est souffrant.
The concert will be cancelled, for the singer is unwell. (formal)
Nous devons partir, car le dernier train est à minuit.
We must leave, for the last train is at midnight. (formal)
A few constraints distinguish car from parce que:
- Car always comes after the main clause. *Car il est tard, je pars is wrong.
- Car cannot answer pourquoi? on its own.
- Car takes a comma before it almost always, where parce que often does not.
In journalism and formal writing, car is everywhere. In conversation, it sounds slightly bookish — using it ironically among friends produces a faintly schoolteacher effect.
comme — sentence-initial cause (since, as)
Comme introduces a cause when the speaker wants to place it before the main clause — to set the stage. It is roughly equivalent to as or since at the start of an English sentence.
Comme il pleut, on va rester à la maison.
Since it's raining, we're going to stay home.
Comme je n'avais plus d'argent, j'ai pris le bus.
As I had no money left, I took the bus.
Comme tu connais bien le quartier, tu peux nous guider.
Since you know the area well, you can show us around.
The defining constraint of comme is position: it almost always comes at the start of the sentence, before the main clause. Comme in causal use after the main clause is wrong — *Je rentre comme il pleut will not work; you need parce que or car.
This is the same word that means like or as in comparisons (il chante comme un oiseau), but the sentence-initial use, signalled by the comma after the comme-clause, is unambiguously causal.
étant donné que — formal "given that"
Étant donné que (literally being given that) is formal. It introduces an established fact as the basis for what follows, often in administrative, legal, or analytical writing.
Étant donné que la situation économique est instable, nous reportons le projet.
Given that the economic situation is unstable, we are postponing the project. (formal)
Étant donné qu'il n'a pas répondu, nous avons dû prendre une décision.
Given that he did not respond, we had to make a decision. (formal)
This expression also exists as a preposition + noun: étant donné la situation (given the situation). The que version takes a full clause.
vu que — informal "given that, seeing as"
Vu que (literally seen that) does the same job as étant donné que but in an informal register. It is conversational and very common.
Vu que t'as pas de voiture, je passe te chercher.
Seeing as you don't have a car, I'll come and pick you up. (informal)
Vu que c'est ton anniversaire, c'est moi qui paie.
Since it's your birthday, I'm paying. (informal)
Vu qu'il fait beau, on pourrait aller au parc.
Given that the weather's nice, we could go to the park. (informal)
The vu is formally invariable here — it does not agree with anything, even though it looks like a past participle.
du fait que — formal "due to the fact that"
Du fait que (due to the fact that) is formal. It is a heavier, more analytical alternative to parce que, often used in essays and reports to point to a causal relationship between facts rather than between actions.
Du fait qu'il était absent, la décision a été reportée.
Due to the fact that he was absent, the decision was postponed. (formal)
Le projet a échoué du fait que le budget était insuffisant.
The project failed due to the fact that the budget was insufficient. (formal)
In conversation, this would sound stilted. In academic prose, it is at home.
sous prétexte que — under the pretext that
Sous prétexte que (under the pretext that) is a specialized causal conjunction: it introduces a cause that the speaker considers false, flimsy, or self-serving — a pretext rather than a real reason.
Il a refusé l'invitation sous prétexte qu'il était malade.
He turned down the invitation, claiming (as a pretext) that he was ill.
Elle est partie tôt sous prétexte qu'elle avait du travail.
She left early on the pretext that she had work to do.
On l'a renvoyé sous prétexte qu'il arrivait en retard, mais la vraie raison était politique.
They sacked him on the pretext that he was late, but the real reason was political.
The implication is always skeptical — the speaker is not endorsing the cause as genuine. Use this when you want to call out a flimsy excuse without saying so explicitly.
A side-by-side comparison
| Conjunction | Meaning | Register | Position | Information status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| parce que | because | neutral | after main | new info |
| puisque | since, given that | neutral | before main | known / shared |
| car | for, because | formal / written | after main | new info |
| comme | as, since | neutral | before main | setting the stage |
| étant donné que | given that | formal | flexible | established fact |
| vu que | seeing as | informal | flexible | known / shared |
| du fait que | due to the fact that | formal / academic | flexible | analytical |
| sous prétexte que | on the pretext that | neutral, skeptical | after main | doubted cause |
All take the indicative
Every one of these conjunctions introduces a factual cause — something that is or was the case. The indicative handles all of them. The subjunctive does not appear after causal conjunctions in modern French.
Je suis content parce qu'il fait beau.
I'm happy because the weather is nice.
Comme nous étions en retard, nous avons pris un taxi.
Since we were late, we took a taxi.
Étant donné que personne n'avait répondu, j'ai dû insister.
Given that nobody had answered, I had to push.
If you are tempted to use the subjunctive after a causal conjunction (perhaps from translating Spanish aunque-style structures, or from confusion with bien que), resist. Causation in French is in the indicative, full stop.
The non-clausal alternatives — a brief reminder
When the cause is a noun phrase rather than a clause, French uses prepositions instead of conjunctions: à cause de (because of, often negative), grâce à (thanks to, positive), en raison de (on account of, formal), faute de (for lack of). These belong to the prepositions page, but knowing them lets you avoid awkward clausal constructions when a noun would do.
Le concert a été annulé à cause de la pluie.
The concert was cancelled because of the rain.
Grâce à toi, j'ai réussi.
Thanks to you, I made it.
En raison du mauvais temps, le vol est retardé.
On account of the bad weather, the flight is delayed.
A worked example
The same underlying meaning — I'm staying home because it's raining — can be expressed in any of several ways, each with a different colour.
- Je reste à la maison parce qu'il pleut. — neutral statement, the rain is the answer to why?.
- Comme il pleut, je reste à la maison. — sets up the rain first; conversational and natural.
- Puisqu'il pleut, autant rester à la maison. — appeals to the rain as a known fact: since it's raining (you and I both see this), we might as well stay.
- Je reste à la maison, car il pleut. — formal, journalistic.
- Vu qu'il pleut, on reste. — informal, very natural in spoken French.
- Étant donné qu'il pleut, le pique-nique est annulé. — formal, often in announcements.
A native speaker chooses among these without thinking, based on register, audience, and information flow. Building that intuition is the work of the next few hundred sentences you read in French.
Common Mistakes
❌ Pourquoi tu pars? — Car je suis fatigué.
Incorrect — car cannot answer pourquoi? on its own.
✅ Pourquoi tu pars? — Parce que je suis fatigué.
Why are you leaving? — Because I'm tired.
❌ Je rentre comme il pleut.
Incorrect — comme as a causal conjunction goes at the start of the sentence.
✅ Comme il pleut, je rentre.
Since it's raining, I'm going home.
❌ Puisque tu sois là, aide-moi.
Incorrect — puisque takes the indicative, never the subjunctive.
✅ Puisque tu es là, aide-moi.
Since you're here, help me.
❌ Il pleut parce que je vais rentrer.
Logically reversed — parce que introduces the cause, not the consequence.
✅ Je vais rentrer parce qu'il pleut.
I'm going home because it's raining.
❌ Vu que t'as pas dormi, t'es fatigué.
Acceptable in informal speech, but in writing, vu que is too informal — use étant donné que or parce que.
✅ Étant donné que vous n'avez pas dormi, vous êtes fatigué.
Given that you haven't slept, you're tired. (formal written)
Key takeaways
The eight French causal conjunctions sort along three axes: register (informal vu que up through neutral parce que / comme / puisque to formal car / étant donné que / du fait que), position (sentence-initial comme, puisque, étant donné que vs post-main parce que, car), and information status (new info with parce que, car; shared info with puisque, vu que; doubted cause with sous prétexte que). All take the indicative. Build parce que and comme first as your A2 default pair, add puisque and car at B1, and reserve étant donné que / du fait que for formal writing. The subtleties between parce que and puisque are worth practicing — that distinction has no clean English equivalent and signals real fluency once you nail it.
Now practice French
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning French→Related Topics
- Les Conjonctions: OverviewA1 — A map of French conjunctions — the small words that link clauses and phrases. Two big classes: coordinators (et, mais, ou, donc, car, or, ni) link equal partners; subordinators (que, parce que, quand, si, bien que, pour que…) introduce a dependent clause. The choice of subordinator also determines whether the verb stays in the indicative or shifts to the subjunctive.
- Les Conjonctions de CoordinationA1 — The seven coordinating conjunctions of French — et, ou, mais, donc, car, or, ni — memorized as 'mais où est donc Ornicar?'. Each one links equal partners (two clauses, two phrases, two nouns) but carries a different logical relation: addition, alternative, contrast, consequence, justification, transition, or negative coordination. Choosing the right one and punctuating it correctly is one of the first things that separates fluent-sounding French from textbook French.
- Les Subordonnées CausalesB1 — How French expresses cause — parce que, car, puisque, comme, du fait que, vu que, sous prétexte que — and the choice between them, plus the noun-phrase causes 'à cause de' (negative) and 'grâce à' (positive). All take the indicative.
- Phrases avec Marqueurs DiscursifsB2 — Discourse markers — alors, donc, bon, eh bien, en fait, du coup, bref, par contre — are the small connective words that organize French speech and writing. They signal transitions, hedge claims, structure arguments, and texture conversations. Mastering them is the single biggest step a learner can take toward sounding fluent.
- Prepositions of Cause and PurposeB1 — French distinguishes positive cause (grâce à) from negative cause (à cause de), and offers a layered hierarchy of purpose prepositions from everyday pour to formal afin de and en vue de. This page maps the whole field.