Learn Hardcore French: Je suis fatigué, mais je viens quand même au cours de français. - I am tired, but I am coming to the French class anyway.

Je suis fatigué = I am tired (describing a state).
J’ai fatigué would mean something like I have tired (someone/something), i.e. I caused tiredness — it’s transitive and unusual in everyday speech.

So whenever you want to say you are tired, hot, cold, hungry (etc.), you generally say:

Je suis fatigué(e).
Je suis malade.
Je suis nerveux / nerveuse.

Why does “fatigué” sometimes have an -e at the end? When should it be fatigué vs fatiguée?

Fatigué is an adjective, so it agrees with the gender and number of the person described.

A man: Je suis fatigué.
A woman: Je suis fatiguée. (add -e)
Several men or a mixed group: Nous sommes fatigués.
Several women: Nous sommes fatiguées.

In pronunciation:

fatigué and fatiguée sound the same.
Only the plural -s can be heard if there’s a liaison:
Nous sommes fatigués aujourd’hui → the s in fatigués is usually silent.

Do you always need the comma before “mais” in “Je suis fatigué, mais…”?

No, it’s not absolutely required, but it’s standard and recommended.

With a comma: Je suis fatigué, mais je viens…
This clearly separates the two clauses: I’m tired, but I’m coming…
Without: Je suis fatigué mais je viens…
Still correct, especially in more informal or quick writing.

In careful written French, you’ll usually see a comma before mais when it links two full clauses.

Why is it “je viens” and not “je vais” if the meaning is “I’m coming to the French class”?

French and English use venir and aller a bit differently.

Venir = to come (to where the speaker or reference point is).
Aller = to go (towards somewhere else).

In practice:

Je viens au cours de français.
Often said when the course is the shared reference point (e.g. you and your teacher talking about that class).
Je vais au cours de français.
Also correct and common: “I’m going to French class.”

In many real-life contexts, both are acceptable, but je vais is the more neutral “I’m going” and je viens can feel more like joining/attending something someone else is hosting or waiting for you at.

What exactly does “quand même” mean here? Is it just “even though”?

Quand même is tricky; it doesn’t translate word-for-word.

In this sentence:

Je suis fatigué, mais je viens quand même au cours de français.

quand même adds the idea of “despite that / anyway / still / regardless” and often a sense of effort or insistence.

Possible translations:

I’m tired, but I’m still coming to French class.
I’m tired, but I’m coming to French class anyway.

It does not replace a conjunction like “even though”; it’s more of an adverbial comment on the action:
“I’m coming, despite what I just said.”

Can “quand même” go somewhere else in the sentence, and does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can move quand même a bit, and the nuance may shift slightly:

Je suis fatigué, mais je viens quand même au cours de français.
Neutral, most common: I’m still coming to French class anyway.
Je suis fatigué, mais quand même je viens au cours de français.
More emphatic and a bit more literary/insistent.
Je suis fatigué, mais je viens au cours de français quand même.
Very similar meaning; the focus is slightly more on the fact that you attend the class in spite of being tired.

All are understandable; the original word order is the most natural in everyday speech.

How is “au cours de français” formed? Why not “à le cours”?

Au is a contraction of à + le:

à + le cours → au cours

You must use the contraction:

❌ Je viens à le cours de français.
✅ Je viens au cours de français.

So:

au = to the
cours de français = French class / French course

Together: au cours de français = to the French class.

What’s the difference between “cours de français” and “classe de français”?

In most contexts:

Un cours de français
= a French class / lesson / course (the teaching session itself).
This is what’s most natural for “French class”.
Une classe de français
More literally, a class as a group of students, not the lesson.
It can sound odd or less common if you just mean “I’m going to French class.”

So:

Je viens au cours de français. ≈ I’m coming to (my) French class.
Talking about the group: Ma classe de français est très sympathique.
(My French class/group is very nice.)

Why is “français” not capitalized here?

In French:

Languages and adjectives of nationality are not capitalized:
- le français, l’anglais, le japonais
- un étudiant français, une fille anglaise
National nouns referring to people are capitalized:
- un Français, une Française, un Anglais

So:

au cours de français (French class: language name → no capital)
un Français (a French man: nationality noun → capital F)

Could we say “Même si je suis fatigué, je viens au cours de français” instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s correct, but the structure and nuance change.

Je suis fatigué, mais je viens quand même au cours de français.
First you state a fact, then you contrast it and add the idea “anyway / all the same.”
Même si je suis fatigué, je viens au cours de français.
You introduce a concession clause right away: Even if/even though I’m tired, I’m coming…

The overall meaning is similar (you come despite being tired), but:

même si… is a subordinate clause structure.
mais… quand même is more like: “X is true, but still Y.”

Why is it “je viens” and not “je viens de” or “je viendrai”?

Each form has a different use:

Je viens au cours de français.
Present tense: I’m coming / I come to French class.
Je viens de + infinitive
= I have just (done something):
- Je viens de finir mon travail. → I’ve just finished my work.
Je viendrai au cours de français.
Future tense: I will come to French class.

In your sentence, we’re talking about a current decision or plan, so present tense je viens is correct.

How do I conjugate “venir” (to come) in the present tense?

Venir is irregular. Present tense:

je viens (I come)
tu viens (you come, singular informal)
il / elle / on vient (he / she / one comes)
nous venons (we come)
vous venez (you come, plural/formal)
ils / elles viennent (they come)

Your sentence uses je viens.

Are there any important pronunciation points in this sentence?

Yes, a few:

Je suis fatigué
- suis = [sɥi] (kind of like “swee” with rounded lips)
- The final -t in fatigué is silent.
mais je viens
- mais = [mɛ] (like “meh” in English, but shorter).
- je viens = roughly “zhuh vyen”. The -s in viens is silent.
quand même
- The d in quand is silent.
- Sounds like “kɑ̃ mɛm” (the an is nasal).
au cours de français
- au = “oh”.
- The s in cours is silent.
- français ends with a nasal -ai: “fran-sè” (nose engaged on fran).

No required liaisons like suis‿fatigué here; people usually keep these words separate in casual speech.

Could I say “Je suis fatigué mais je vais quand même au cours de français” instead?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and very natural.

Je viens quand même au cours de français.
Slight nuance of “I’m (still) coming (there / to you) anyway.”
Je vais quand même au cours de français.
More neutral: I’m still going to French class anyway.

In everyday conversation, je vais quand même au cours de français might actually be more common than je viens, especially if you’re just talking about your own schedule and movement.