How to say 'because' in French

‘Because’ is one of the most useful words to learn in any language. It’s one of the most common words, because it helps you connect clauses to imply causation in a sentence.

But many learners struggle with learning the French for ‘because’.

Why? Because there are a few different ways to express ‘because’ in French.

There are a few different ways to say ‘because’ in French, depending on the context of the sentence.

The two most common, and most versatile, are parce que and car.

The difference between parce que and car is mostly one of formality. Car is quite formal, and is used in literary or written text, but is less common in spoken French. Parce que, on the other hand, can be used in formal and informal circumstances. Both parce que and car are used to express an explanation, reason or cause.

Bear in mind that que contracts to qu’ when followed by a vowel or soft ‘h’.

Examples:

Louise est contente parce qu’elle a obtenu son permis de conduire. (Louise is happy because she got her driving licence.)

Nous sommes restés à l’intérieur car il neigeait. (We stayed inside because it was snowing.)

In a formal, written or literary context, both parce que and car can usually be used interchangeably. But there are a few contexts where you can only use one and not the other.

Car cannot be used in response to a question using pourquoi (why). In this instance we must use 'parce que':

Examples:

Pourquoi es-tu arrivé si tôt ? Parce qu’il n’y avait pas de circulation. (Why did you arrive so early? Because there was no traffic.)

By extension, car cannot be used emphatically:

Examples:

Parce que ! (Because!)

Parce que je l’ai dit ! (Because I said so!)

Nor can car be used to introduce a subordinate clause requiring emphasis, while parce que can:

C’est parce que tu n’écoutes jamais ! (It's because you never listen!)

There are a few other words you can use to introduce an explanation.

When the reason is already known by both speakers:

Puisque

Puisque means 'since', or 'given that', but can also be translated as because in certain scenarios.

Example:

Je vais te donner un chocolat, puisque tu l’as demandé si gentiment. (I'll give you a chocolate, because/since you asked so nicely.)

Étant donné que

This is a handy expression that means 'given that', and can therefore also be used to mean 'because'.

Example:

Étant donné que le professeur est malade, je ne pense pas que nous aurons cours aujourd’hui. (Because/Given that the teacher is sick, i don't think we'll have any lessons today.)

À cause de + noun

À cause de means 'because of', and is generally used when referring to something negative or undesirable.

Example:

On a été en retard à cause du trafic. (We were late because of the traffic.)

En raison de + noun

En raison de can mean 'due to' or 'because of'.

Example:

Le vol a été annulé en raison de la tempête. (The flight was cancelled because of the storm.)

For more linking words, check out Lesson 07 of The Complete French Course.