Linking Words in French 80 Connectors for Smoother Sentences

Mots de liaison are the little glue words that make French sound like actual French instead of a pile of separate thoughts nervously standing next to each other.

If you already know basic French sentences, connectors are what help you level up from “I eat. I am tired. I go home.” to something smoother like “I’m tired, so I’m going home, but I’ll eat later.” Much better. Much less robot.

In this guide, you’ll learn 80 useful linking words and connectors in French, with pronunciation help, meanings, example sentences, translations, and quick learner notes. We’ll start with the most useful everyday ones first, then branch out into contrast, cause, time, condition, addition, and conclusion.

If you want more French study help after this, you can also try the French placement test, check your everyday words with the French vocabulary test, or review related grammar like French prepositions of place and time. Yes, the tiny words do a suspicious amount of work.

Table of Contents

What Linking Words Do In French

French connectors link ideas, show relationships, and guide the listener through what you mean. They can express:

addition: et, de plus
contrast: mais, cependant
cause: parce que, puisque
result: donc, alors
time: puis, ensuite
condition: si, à condition que
purpose: pour, afin de
summary or conclusion: enfin, en résumé

Some are super common in speech. Others are more formal and show up in writing, presentations, essays, or emails. You do not need to memorize all 80 at once. Your brain would like a word with you if you tried.

Everyday Essential Connectors

These are the high-frequency connectors you’ll hear all the time in normal French conversation and writing.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
et	ay	and	Je prends un café et un croissant.	I’m having a coffee and a croissant.	The basic linker. Very common.
ou	oo	or	Tu veux du thé ou du café ?	Do you want tea or coffee?	Not the same as où = where.
mais	meh	but	Il est sympa, mais un peu distrait.	He’s nice, but a bit distracted.	One of the first must-know connectors.
donc	donk	so, therefore	Il pleut, donc je reste à la maison.	It’s raining, so I’m staying home.	Common in speech and writing.
alors	ah-lor	so, then	Tu es prêt ? Alors, on y va.	Are you ready? So, let’s go.	Very common in conversation.
puis	pwee	then	Je termine ici, puis je t’appelle.	I’ll finish here, then I’ll call you.	Useful for sequence.
ensuite	ahn-sweet	next, afterwards	On déjeune, ensuite on part.	We’ll have lunch, then we’ll leave.	Slightly clearer than puis in many contexts.
car	kar	because, for	Je pars tôt, car je travaille demain.	I’m leaving early because I work tomorrow.	More written/formal than parce que.
parce que	parss-kuh	because	Je suis fatigué parce que j’ai mal dormi.	I’m tired because I slept badly.	The everyday way to say “because.”
si	see	if	Si tu veux, on peut commencer maintenant.	If you want, we can start now.	Very useful for conditions.

Connectors For Adding Information

When you want to build on an idea, these connectors help you add information smoothly.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
de plus	duh plu	moreover	Ce restaurant est bon ; de plus, il n’est pas cher.	This restaurant is good; moreover, it isn’t expensive.	Common in writing.
en plus	ahn plu	in addition, besides	Il est gentil, et en plus il est drôle.	He’s nice, and on top of that he’s funny.	Very common and natural in speech.
également	ay-gal-man	also	Elle parle français et également italien.	She speaks French and also Italian.	Fairly formal.
aussi	oh-see	also, too	Moi aussi, je veux venir.	I want to come too.	Very common. Position can change meaning slightly.
d’ailleurs	dah-yur	besides, by the way	D’ailleurs, tu connais déjà ma sœur.	By the way, you already know my sister.	Great conversational connector.
ainsi que	an-see kuh	as well as	Le document doit être signé par le client ainsi que par le directeur.	The document must be signed by the client as well as by the director.	More formal.
non seulement… mais aussi	non sul-man… meh oh-see	not only… but also	Elle est non seulement intelligente, mais aussi très patiente.	She is not only intelligent, but also very patient.	Classic paired structure.
voire	vwahr	or even	Le trajet dure deux heures, voire trois en été.	The trip takes two hours, or even three in summer.	More advanced, often written.
sans compter	sahn kon-tay	not counting, on top of that	Il a raté le train, sans compter qu’il avait oublié son portefeuille.	He missed the train, not to mention that he had forgotten his wallet.	Good for complaints. Naturally.
de même	duh mem	likewise	Paul aime cuisiner ; de même, sa sœur adore préparer des desserts.	Paul likes cooking; likewise, his sister loves making desserts.	Mostly written.

Connectors For Contrast And Opposition

These are essential when you want to say “but,” “however,” “on the other hand,” or “even though.” French has lots of options here, with different levels of formality.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
cependant	suh-pahn-dan	however	Le film est long ; cependant, il est excellent.	The film is long; however, it is excellent.	Neutral to formal.
pourtant	poor-tahn	however, yet	Il a beaucoup étudié ; pourtant, il a raté l’examen.	He studied a lot; yet he failed the exam.	Common and expressive.
en revanche	ahn ruh-vahnsh	on the other hand	Ce quartier est calme ; en revanche, il est un peu loin.	This neighborhood is quiet; on the other hand, it’s a bit far.	Useful for balanced comparisons.
par contre	par kontr	on the other hand, but	Je peux venir samedi ; par contre, dimanche je travaille.	I can come on Saturday; on the other hand, I’m working on Sunday.	Very common in speech.
au contraire	oh kon-trair	on the contrary	Il n’est pas stressé ; au contraire, il est très détendu.	He isn’t stressed; on the contrary, he’s very relaxed.	Use for real contradiction.
tandis que	tahn-dee kuh	whereas, while	Marie adore la ville, tandis que son frère préfère la campagne.	Marie loves the city, whereas her brother prefers the countryside.	Good for comparison.
alors que	ah-lor kuh	whereas, while	Il sort sans manteau alors qu’il fait très froid.	He goes out without a coat even though it’s very cold.	Can express contrast or contradiction.
même si	mem see	even if, even though	Je vais courir même s’il pleut.	I’m going running even if it rains.	Very useful in everyday speech.
malgré	mal-gray	despite	Malgré la pluie, ils sont sortis.	Despite the rain, they went out.	Followed by a noun, not a full clause.
bien que	bee-ahn kuh	although	Bien qu’il soit jeune, il a beaucoup d’expérience.	Although he is young, he has a lot of experience.	More advanced; often followed by subjunctive.

Connectors For Cause

These explain why something happens. Start with parce que. Then expand your range so you do not say it 900 times in one paragraph.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
parce que	parss-kuh	because	Je reste ici parce que j’attends un appel.	I’m staying here because I’m waiting for a call.	Most common everyday option.
puisque	pweesk	since, seeing that	Puisque tu es là, tu peux m’aider.	Since you’re here, you can help me.	Often implies the reason is already known.
comme	kom	since, as	Comme il était tard, on a pris un taxi.	Since it was late, we took a taxi.	Often placed at the start of the sentence.
en raison de	ahn ray-zon duh	due to	Le vol a été annulé en raison du mauvais temps.	The flight was canceled due to bad weather.	Formal.
à cause de	ah koz duh	because of	Il est en retard à cause des embouteillages.	He is late because of traffic jams.	Usually for negative causes.
grâce à	grass ah	thanks to	Grâce à toi, j’ai fini à temps.	Thanks to you, I finished on time.	Usually for positive causes.
du fait que	duh feh kuh	because of the fact that	Le projet avance lentement du fait que l’équipe est réduite.	The project is moving slowly because the team is small.	Formal and wordy.
étant donné que	ay-tahn don-nay kuh	given that	Étant donné qu’il est absent, la réunion est reportée.	Given that he is absent, the meeting is postponed.	Common in formal writing.
vu que	vu kuh	seeing that, since	Vu qu’il neige, on reste à l’intérieur.	Seeing that it’s snowing, we’re staying inside.	Informal spoken French.
faute de	foht duh	for lack of	Faute de temps, je répondrai demain.	For lack of time, I’ll reply tomorrow.	Fairly formal and useful.

Connectors For Result And Consequence

These show what happens next as a consequence.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
donc	donk	so, therefore	Je n’ai plus de batterie, donc je rentre.	I have no battery left, so I’m going home.	Very common.
alors	ah-lor	so, then	Tu refuses ? Alors je pars sans toi.	You’re refusing? Then I’m leaving without you.	Conversation-friendly.
c’est pourquoi	say poor-kwah	that is why	Le train est annulé ; c’est pourquoi nous attendons.	The train is canceled; that is why we are waiting.	More written.
ainsi	an-see	thus, so	Il a oublié son passeport ; ainsi, il n’a pas pu embarquer.	He forgot his passport; thus, he could not board.	Formal/written.
par conséquent	par kon-say-kahn	consequently	La demande a augmenté ; par conséquent, les prix montent.	Demand has increased; consequently, prices are rising.	Formal and useful in writing.
du coup	du koo	so, as a result	J’ai raté le bus, du coup je suis arrivé en retard.	I missed the bus, so I arrived late.	Very common in spoken French in France.
de ce fait	duh suh feh	as a result	Il n’a pas confirmé ; de ce fait, on a annulé la réservation.	He didn’t confirm; as a result, we canceled the booking.	Formal.
dès lors	day lor	from then on, therefore	Le contrat était signé ; dès lors, tout a changé.	The contract was signed; from then on, everything changed.	Mostly written.
si bien que	see byan kuh	so that, with the result that	Il a neigé toute la nuit, si bien que les routes sont bloquées.	It snowed all night, with the result that the roads are blocked.	Good advanced connector.
de sorte que	duh sort kuh	so that	Parle plus fort, de sorte que tout le monde entende.	Speak louder so that everyone can hear.	Can express result or purpose depending on context.

Connectors For Time And Sequence

These are perfect for storytelling, giving instructions, or explaining a process in French without sounding like you dropped your sentences down the stairs.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
d’abord	dah-bor	first	D’abord, on vérifie les billets.	First, we check the tickets.	Very common.
tout d’abord	too dah-bor	first of all	Tout d’abord, merci d’être venus.	First of all, thank you for coming.	Good for presentations and writing.
ensuite	ahn-sweet	next	Ensuite, tu ajoutes les œufs.	Next, you add the eggs.	Excellent for instructions.
puis	pwee	then	Il a souri, puis il est parti.	He smiled, then he left.	Simple and useful.
après	ah-pray	after	On se voit après le travail.	We’ll see each other after work.	Can be a preposition too.
avant	ah-vahn	before	Lave-toi les mains avant de manger.	Wash your hands before eating.	Very common.
pendant que	pahn-dahn kuh	while	Je lis pendant que tu cuisines.	I’m reading while you cook.	For simultaneous actions.
lorsque	lor-sk	when	Lorsque j’étais enfant, j’habitais à Lyon.	When I was a child, I lived in Lyon.	More formal than quand.
quand	kahn	when	Appelle-moi quand tu arrives.	Call me when you arrive.	Everyday choice.
enfin	ahn-fan	finally	Enfin, nous avons trouvé une solution.	Finally, we found a solution.	Can also mean “well” or “anyway” in speech.

Connectors For Condition And Hypothesis

If you want to say “if,” “unless,” or “provided that,” these are your tools.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
si	see	if	Si tu étudies, tu progresseras vite.	If you study, you’ll progress quickly.	Essential connector.
à condition que	ah kon-dee-see-on kuh	provided that	Tu peux sortir, à condition que tu rentres avant minuit.	You can go out, provided that you come back before midnight.	Often followed by subjunctive.
à moins que	ah mwan kuh	unless	On ira au parc, à moins qu’il pleuve.	We’ll go to the park unless it rains.	Often followed by subjunctive.
au cas où	oh kah zoo	in case	Prends un pull au cas où il ferait froid.	Take a sweater in case it gets cold.	Very practical everyday phrase.
pourvu que	poor-vu kuh	provided that, if only	Pourvu qu’il arrive à temps !	If only he arrives on time!	Can express hope too.
dans le cas où	dahn luh kah zoo	in the event that	Dans le cas où tu changerais d’avis, écris-moi.	In the event that you change your mind, write to me.	Formal.
sinon	see-non	otherwise	Dépêche-toi, sinon on va rater le train.	Hurry up, otherwise we’ll miss the train.	Common and useful.
à défaut de	ah day-foh duh	failing, for lack of	À défaut de voiture, nous prendrons le bus.	Failing a car, we’ll take the bus.	Formal and less common in speech.
en admettant que	ahn ad-met-tahn kuh	assuming that	En admettant qu’il accepte, quand commencera-t-on ?	Assuming that he agrees, when will we start?	Advanced and formal.
si jamais	see zha-may	if ever, just in case	Si jamais tu vois Paul, dis-lui de m’appeler.	If you happen to see Paul, tell him to call me.	Very natural in spoken French.

Connectors For Explanation, Example, And Clarification

These help you explain yourself, reformulate an idea, or give examples more elegantly.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
par exemple	par egz-ahnpl	for example	J’aime les fruits, par exemple les fraises et les mangues.	I like fruit, for example strawberries and mangoes.	Super common.
c’est-à-dire	say tah deer	that is to say, i.e.	Il est bilingue, c’est-à-dire qu’il parle deux langues couramment.	He is bilingual, that is to say he speaks two languages fluently.	Useful in speech and writing.
autrement dit	oh-truh-man dee	in other words	Le délai est trop court ; autrement dit, il faut plus de temps.	The deadline is too short; in other words, we need more time.	Clear and elegant.
notamment	noh-tah-man	notably, in particular	J’adore la cuisine française, notamment les plats du sud.	I love French cuisine, especially dishes from the south.	Common in writing.
en effet	ahn eh-feh	indeed	Il est absent ; en effet, il est malade depuis lundi.	He is absent; indeed, he has been ill since Monday.	Can confirm or explain.
bref	breff	in short, anyway	Bref, on a perdu une heure pour rien.	In short, we wasted an hour for nothing.	Very common in casual speech and storytelling.
en d’autres termes	ahn doh-truh term	in other terms	Le système est instable ; en d’autres termes, il peut tomber en panne.	The system is unstable; in other words, it may break down.	More formal than autrement dit.
à savoir	ah sah-vwar	namely	Deux personnes seront présentes, à savoir Julie et Karim.	Two people will be present, namely Julie and Karim.	Formal/written.
comme quoi	kom kwah	which shows that	Il a réussi sans aide, comme quoi c’était possible.	He succeeded without help, which shows it was possible.	Common in speech, slightly nuanced.
du moins	du mwan	at least	Essaie, du moins une fois.	Try, at least once.	Useful softener.

Connectors For Purpose And Goal

These explain what something is for or what result you want to achieve.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
pour	poor	for, in order to	Je viens pour apprendre le français.	I’m coming to learn French.	Simple and essential.
pour que	poor kuh	so that	Je parle lentement pour que tu comprennes.	I’m speaking slowly so that you understand.	Usually followed by subjunctive.
afin de	ah-fan duh	in order to	Nous partons tôt afin d’éviter les bouchons.	We’re leaving early in order to avoid traffic.	More formal than pour.
afin que	ah-fan kuh	so that	Je t’écris afin que tout soit clair.	I’m writing to you so that everything is clear.	Formal and often written.
de façon à	duh fah-son ah	so as to	Place la lampe de façon à mieux voir.	Place the lamp so as to see better.	Useful in instructions.
de manière à	duh man-yair ah	so as to	Il explique lentement de manière à rassurer tout le monde.	He explains slowly so as to reassure everyone.	Neutral to formal.
dans le but de	dahn luh bu duh	with the aim of	Ils investissent dans le but de développer l’entreprise.	They are investing with the aim of developing the company.	Formal.
histoire de	ees-twar duh	just to, for the sake of	On sort un peu, histoire de prendre l’air.	We’re going out a bit, just to get some fresh air.	Informal and very natural.
de peur de	duh pur duh	for fear of	Il parle doucement de peur de réveiller le bébé.	He speaks softly for fear of waking the baby.	Common in writing.
de crainte que	duh krent kuh	for fear that	Elle ferme tout de crainte qu’on n’entre.	She locks everything for fear that someone might come in.	Advanced and formal.

Connectors For Conclusion And Summary

These help you wrap things up cleanly in speech, emails, essays, and presentations.

French	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
en résumé	ahn ray-zoo-may	in summary	En résumé, le projet coûte moins cher et prend moins de temps.	In summary, the project costs less and takes less time.	Useful in writing and presentations.
en somme	ahn som	all in all	En somme, c’était une bonne journée.	All in all, it was a good day.	Neutral to formal.
bref	breff	in short	Bref, il faut recommencer.	In short, we need to start again.	Casual and common.
pour conclure	poor kon-kloor	to conclude	Pour conclure, je voudrais remercier toute l’équipe.	To conclude, I would like to thank the whole team.	Presentation-friendly.
en conclusion	ahn kon-klew-zee-on	in conclusion	En conclusion, cette solution est la plus simple.	In conclusion, this solution is the simplest.	Formal and clear.
au final	oh fee-nal	in the end	Au final, on a décidé de rester.	In the end, we decided to stay.	Very natural in modern French.
finalement	fee-nal-man	finally, eventually	Finalement, elle a accepté l’offre.	In the end, she accepted the offer.	Common in both speech and writing.
tout compte fait	too kont feh	all things considered	Tout compte fait, ce n’était pas une mauvaise idée.	All things considered, it wasn’t a bad idea.	Great advanced phrase.
en définitive	ahn day-fee-nee-teev	ultimately	En définitive, le choix dépend du budget.	Ultimately, the choice depends on the budget.	Formal.
au bout du compte	oh boo du kont	when all is said and done	Au bout du compte, ce sont les détails qui comptent.	When all is said and done, it’s the details that matter.	Idiomatic and natural.

Quick Usage Notes That Save Learners Headaches

Parce que is the normal everyday “because.” Car sounds more written and formal.
Du coup is very common in France French speech. It means “so” or “as a result,” but using it every five seconds can sound repetitive. Native speakers do it too, to be fair.
Par contre is common in spoken French for contrast. Some style purists grumble about it in formal writing, but in real life it is everywhere.
Puisque often suggests the reason is already obvious or accepted.
Bien que, pour que, à condition que, and some others are often followed by the subjunctive. If you are a beginner, just recognize them first. No need to panic elegantly.
Enfin can mean “finally,” but in conversation it can also mean something like “well,” “I mean,” or “you know.” Context matters.
Où means “where,” while ou means “or.” The accent is doing real work. Tiny, but dramatic.

Mini Practice: Choose The Best Connector

Try filling in these with the most natural connector.

Je suis resté à la maison, _____ j’étais malade. (parce que)
Il veut venir, _____ il n’a pas encore décidé. (mais / pourtant)
D’abord on visite le musée, _____ on déjeune. (puis / ensuite)
Prends ton parapluie _____ il pleut. (si)
J’ai raté le réveil, _____ je suis arrivé en retard. (donc / du coup)
Elle parle espagnol et anglais ; _____, elle apprend le français. (de plus / en plus)

A Few Natural Model Sentences

Here are a few full sentences showing connectors working together in real French:

D’abord, on prend un café, puis on regarde le plan de la ville.
First, we’ll have a coffee, then we’ll look at the city map.
Je voulais sortir, mais il pleuvait ; du coup, je suis resté chez moi.
I wanted to go out, but it was raining, so I stayed home.
Même si c’est difficile, je continue, parce que je veux progresser.
Even though it’s difficult, I keep going because I want to improve.
En résumé, ce mot est courant à l’oral, alors que l’autre est plus formel.
In summary, this word is common in speech, whereas the other is more formal.

The goal is not to use the fanciest connector. The goal is to sound clear, natural, and connected.

How To Learn French Connectors Faster

Start with 10 high-frequency connectors: et, mais, ou, parce que, donc, alors, puis, ensuite, si, quand.
Group them by function, not alphabet. Your brain likes categories more than chaos.
Copy short model sentences and swap nouns and verbs.
Listen for them in podcasts, shows, or YouTube clips in French.
Use two or three in every short paragraph you write.
Read this guide again later and notice which ones already feel familiar.

If you want to keep building your French foundations, browse more lessons in Learn French or revisit this guide on linking words and connectors in French whenever your sentences start sounding a bit too caveman.

Yak Takeaway: master a handful of French connectors and your sentences instantly sound smoother, smarter, and more natural. Tiny words, big upgrade.