Justifying Decisions with "étant donné que"
When explaining decisions based on undisputed facts, use the connector étant donné que (given that). Because it states a reality, it is always followed by the indicative mood (standard tenses like the present), not the subjunctive.
Place it at the beginning of a sentence to set the context:
| Given that the curriculum is changing, we must justify this choice. | Étant donné que le cursus change, nous devons justifier ce choix. |
Or use it in the middle to link a decision directly to its cause:
| Teaching is fundamental, given that the students learn quickly. | L'enseignement est fondamental, étant donné que les élèves apprennent vite. |
Stating the Facts with "vu que"
Another useful connector is vu que (seeing that). It functions exactly like étant donné que and also takes the indicative mood. While étant donné que is slightly more formal, vu que is very common in everyday and professional situations.
| Seeing that the class size is increasing, the workload is heavy. | Vu que l'effectif augmente, la charge de travail est lourde. |
Like étant donné que, vu que can easily be placed in the middle of a sentence to justify an action.
| The administration must justify the curriculum, seeing that the schooling is changing. | L'administration doit justifier le cursus vu que la scolarité change. |
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