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Common connectors and transitions phrases in French

In French, connectors and transition phrases are important tools for linking ideas and creating a coherent narrative in both written and spoken communication.

In this lesson, we’ll go over some common connectors and transition phrases in French that you can use to improve your communication skills.

Premièrement, deuxièmement, enfin. (First, secondly, finally.) These connectors are used to order and sequence ideas in a narrative.

De plus, en outre, par ailleurs. (Moreover, furthermore, besides.) These connectors are used to add more information to an idea or argument.

Néanmoins, cependant, pourtant. (Nevertheless, however, yet.) These connectors are used to introduce a contrasting idea or argument.

En effet, effectivement, en réalité. (Indeed, in fact, actually.) These connectors are used to introduce a statement or fact that supports a previous idea or argument.

Ainsi, par conséquent, donc. (Thus, consequently, therefore.) These connectors are used to indicate a conclusion or result based on previous ideas or arguments.

D’un côté, de l’autre côté. (On one hand, on the other hand.) These connectors are used to present two contrasting sides of an argument.

En somme, finalement, pour conclure. (In summary, finally, to conclude.) These connectors are used to signal the end of a narrative or argument and provide a summary or conclusion.

À mon avis, selon moi, je pense que. (In my opinion, in my view, I think that.) These connectors are used to introduce a personal opinion or belief.

Bien que, malgré, quoique. (Although, despite, even though.) These connectors are used to introduce a contrasting idea or situation.

En revanche, par contre, au contraire. (On the other hand, however, conversely.) These connectors are used to introduce a contrasting idea or situation.

Learning and using these common connectors and transition phrases in French will help you to create a more structured, coherent and persuasive communication style.

It is important to also learn other advanced expressions and connectives to express more complex thoughts and ideas.

With practice and persistence, you’ll soon be able to speak and write more fluently in French.

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Learn How to Write in French Easily

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By OptiLingo • 9 minute read

Improve Your Written French Today

Whether you want to pen a love letter or submit an essay in France, you need to know how to write in French. Luckily, learning how to write in French is fairly straightforward. Since French uses the Latin Alphabet, you’re already ahead of the game. Improve your writing in French fast with these easy steps.

The Basics of French Writing for Beginners

When it comes to French writing, it’s a little different than speaking French. But, if you know how to read French well, you shouldn’t have a lot of problems.

Before you read the 8 easy steps of learning to write in French, there’s one important factor in mastering French writing: practice. The only way you can truly improve your French writing skills is with a lot of practice . Make sure you write a little bit in French every day. Soon, you’ll find that writing in French is like second nature.

1. Watch Out for French Spelling

One of the biggest obstacles that throws French learners off is spelling. Unfortunately, those silent letters that you don’t pronounce are very much there in writing. Be careful how you spell certain complicated words. You need to master all parts of French grammar to write French correctly.

2. Genders Influence Grammar in French

You may already know that nouns have genders in French. They can either be masculine or feminine. And depending on the gender, different parts of a French sentence need to be conjugated.

• articles : French articles need to be conjugated to reflect the gender and the number of the noun. These can be ‘le’, ‘la’, ‘l”, and ‘les’ for definite articles, and ‘un’ and ‘une’ for indefinite articles.
• pronouns : Pronouns in French are the words that replace the name of the subject in a sentence. ‘He’, ‘she’, and ‘them’ are some examples of pronouns in English. In French, you need to use different forms of pronouns depending on the gender of the subject.
• adjectives : When you’re describing a noun, you use an adjective. And since the noun is the only reason the adjective’s there in the sentence, you need to make the adjective fit the noun in French. There are various ways to conjugate French adjectives depending on the gender and the number of the noun, so make sure you brush up on that knowledge before you write in French.

3. Careful with French Accent Marks

French accent marks also don’t do us any favors. While they’re extremely useful when it comes to French pronunciation, their writing isn’t as straightforward. Try to associate the sound with the written French word. There are only 5 accent marks in French. One is the cedilla (ç), which only works with the letter “c”, and another is the acute accent (é), which only sits on top of the letter “e”. So in practice, there are only 3 different kinds of accents you should look out for in French.

4. Follow the French Sentence Structures

English and French sentence structures are similar in many ways. Both follow the SVO (subject-verb-object) structure, which makes writing in French much easier. And just like in English, the French sentence structure is also flexible. You can switch the words around to emphasize a part of a sentence, but still have the same meaning.

• Tomorrow , I’m going to work.    Demain  je vais travailler. I’m going to work  tomorrow .   Je vais travailler  demain .

The most important part of the first sentence is the time the speaker goes to work. The second sentence focuses on the subject, the speaker instead. Still, both sentences convey the same meaning of going to work.

If you want to ask a question in French, you can do so by putting a question word at the beginning of the sentence. Common question words are:

• How  Comment
• What  Que / Qu’est-ce que queue
• What kind  Quel genre
• When  Quand
• Why   Pourquoi

You can also ask a question by switching the order of the verb and the pronoun around, and connecting them with a hyphen:

• Do you speak English?    Parlez-vous anglais ?

It’s important to remember these basic rules of French sentence structure before you start writing in French. If you want to learn how to write in French effectively, practice these 4 steps a lot.

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How to Write in French for Intermediate Students

If you’re an intermediate French learner you’re familiar with basic French grammar, and you’re confident in writing in French. But, there’s always room to improve. Once you know the basic steps of how to write in French, it’s time to make your writing even better. You can start paying attention to style, flow, and structure. The tips below will benefit your French writing practice.

5. Try Nominalization

This useful technique will make your sentences better. Nominalization means that you make nouns in the sentence more dominant. While in English, the dominant words are verbs, in French, you can write with the focus of the noun instead, making them more meaningful. Here’s an example to demonstrate.

• Normal sentence: The ice cream is cold. – La glace est froide.
• Nominalized sentence: The ice cream is cold. – La glace, c’est droid.

6. Use French Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the tools to write complex French sentences. Without them, you’re limited to simple and boring sentence structures. As an intermediate student, you can start connecting two equal or unequal sentences to make an even more interesting phrase. Here are the different kinds of French conjunctions you can use to write better in French:

Coordinating Conjunctions:

You use these kinds of conjunctions to connect two equal sentences. The most common coordinating conjunctions in French are:

Subordinating Conjunctions:

If one of the sentences in unequal or dependent on the other, you need to use subordinating conjunctions. These connectors often show causality. The most common conjunctions in French for this category are:

7. Style and Flow

Now that you wield the power of conjunctions, you have to be careful with it. As fun as it is to write long and complicated sentences in French, it doesn’t sound good. Make sure you use appropriate sentence lengths as you’re writing in French.

Aim for shorter sentences. Make them explain your point well. But, feel free to mix the flow up with the occasional longer sentences. That’s how you write in French with a nice and smooth flow. And that’s how you perfect your French writing too. It will be a pleasure to read your work.

Writing in French for Advanced Learners

Once you mastered all of the French writing rules, you’re officially an advanced French learner. But, there may still be room to improve your French writing. If you’re looking to kick your projects up a notch, you can learn how to write essays and dissertations in French. These pointers will be useful if you ever attend school or university in France, or you want to take a language exam.

8. Get Familiar with French Essay Structure

When you’re writing an essay, you have to structure it for readability. If you want to learn how French high schoolers are taught to write their essays, this is the structure they follow: thèse-antithèse-synthèse (thesis-antithesis-synthesis). Learn how to write French essays using a traditional French essay structure.

• Introduction : You begin your essay by having an introduction, which is a context for argument.
• Thesis : In this section, you present and defend the statement of your thesis. You need to write everything that supports the topic of your essay.
• Antithesis : The antithesis follows the thesis. This is where you state conflicting evidence and explain other potential substitutes for your essay. Including an antithesis doesn’t mean that you disagree with your original thesis. You just need to show that you thought of all possibilities before arriving to your conclusion.
• Synthesis : This is your conclusion. This is where you summarize your arguments, and explain why you still stand by your original thesis despite the antithesis.

9. Use Introduction and Conclusion Vocabulary

Certain words can encourage sentence flow by introducing or concluding some parts of your work.

• tout d’abord (firstly)
• premièrement (firstly)
• deuxièmement (secondly)
• ensuite (then)
• enfin (finally)
• finalement (finally)
• pour conclure (to conclude)

You can use these words when introducing a new idea to your dissertation or essay. These words will signal the readers that they are encountering a new part or thought of your writing process.

10. Writing a Dissertation in French

This is the form of writing you encounter in French higher education. It’s a very complex form of French writing, only the most advanced and fluent French learners should attempt it. It’s also a longer piece of academic writing. It may take you weeks to complete research and write your French dissertation.

The French dissertation is similar to essay structure. But, there’s one main difference: your thesis isn’t a statement, but rather a question. It’s your job in the dissertation to take the reader through your thought process and research to answer your question. This logic is known as “ Cartesian logic .” It comes from Descartes , who was a well known French philosopher.

History of Written French

French was used in Strasbourg Oaths, and it first appeared in writing in 842 AD. Before then, Latin was the only language used for literature in Europe. However, in the 10th and 11th centuries, French appeared in some religious writings and documents but was not used up to the late 12th century or early 13th century. The first greatest French Literature work, the Song of Roland (Chanson de Roland), was published around the year 1200.

Writing in French Alone Won’t Make You Fluent

You need to learn how to write in French to be proficient in the language. But, it won’t make you fluent. The only way to become fluent is to practice speaking French. While it’s crucial to develop every area of your French knowledge, if you want to be fluent in French, you need a reliable language learning method like OptiLingo.

OptiLingo is an app that gets you speaking, not typing a language. It gives you the most common French words and phrases, so you’re guaranteed to learn the most useful vocabulary. Don’t waste time trying to learn French you’ll never use. Complement your French writing practice with fun speaking exercises when you download OptiLingo !

Related posts

Express Your Feelings, Mood, and Emotions in French

You Guide to Direct Object Pronouns in French

How to Count in French – Master French Numbers

The 10 Most Common Grammar Mistakes in French

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33 French Conversational Connectors For Smooth Spoken French

As you learn French and begin using longer sentences to express your ideas, you need to know the connectors in French that allow everything to flow together.

Connectors will turn disjointed phrases into joined up sentences, making your French sound more smooth, natural and fluent.

Let’s have a look at an example in English first:

Yesterday, I went for a walk in the park. I arrived at the park. It started raining. I didn’t have an umbrella. I was starting to feel hungry. I decided to take the bus home. I had wasted my day off. It’s always a bad idea to go out without an umbrella in spring. It serves me right.

Compare that with:

Yesterday, I went for a walk in the park. However , when I arrived at the park, it started raining, and unfortunately, I didn’t have an umbrella. Furthermore, I was starting to feel hungry, so I decided to take the bus home instead – but I had wasted my day off. In fact , it’s always a bad idea to go out in spring without an umbrella, so I guess it serves me right.

Which one sounds more natural? Of course it’s the second one. Why? Thanks to the connectors! 

So, to help you out and save you a bit of time, here’s my list of the most important French conversational connectors to get you started.

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33 French Conversational Connectors

These are some of the very first words you will learn in French and are essential when forming even the simplest joined-up sentences.

Most of these words work just like their English counterparts.

#1 Et – And

• Example: Je ne veux pas y aller et c’est tout ! – I don’t want to go and that’s that!

#2 Mais – But

• Example: Je ne veux pas y aller, mais tu peux me convaincre – I don’t want to go, but you can convince me

#3 Parce que – Because

• Example: Je ne veux pas y aller parce que ça m’ennuie – I don’t want to go because it bores me

#4 Peut-être – Perhaps, Maybe

• Example: Peut-être qu'on peut y aller après-demain – Perhaps we can go the day after tomorrow

#5 Comme – As, Since

This word in French has several meanings, including “like” (as in “similar”) and “as” (“he’s dressed as a monk”). But here, as a connector, it means “as” or “since”, a meaning that is close to “because”.

• Example: Comme ça m’ennuie, je ne veux pas y aller – Since it bores me, I don’t want to go

#6 Donc – Therefore

This is a useful word and is very common – it’s slightly more formal than alors , which we’ll come to in a moment.

• Example: Je n’ai pas d’argent donc je ne veux pas y aller – I don’t have any money, therefore I don’t want to go
• Example: Je pense donc je suis – I think therefore I am

It's also used in the following expression:

• Example: Quoi donc ? – What then?

Multipurpose Connectors In French To Sound Like A Native

Here are a couple of words that are super-common in French and that have lots of meanings.

Learning how to use them correctly can help make your French sound much more natural. And because they have so many uses, they’re extremely useful words to know.

In fact, I could probably write a whole post just about number 7. But I'll just give you an overview for now!

#7 Alors – So, Then, Therefore

This is a word that can seemingly be made to mean almost anything.

But its primary sense is “so” or “therefore”. It’s often used instead of donc and sounds less formal – the difference between the two is similar to the difference between “so” and “therefore” in English.

Note that when it isn’t being used to connect two parts of a sentence, alors can be placed at the beginning or end of what you say.

In English, we use “so” at the start of the sentence or replace it with “then” – which can go at the start or at the end. See the third example below to see how this works.

• Je n’ai pas d’argent alors je ne veux pas y aller – I don’t have any money, so I don’t want to go
• Je ne le voulais pas alors pourquoi tu l’as acheté ? – I didn’t want it so why did you buy it?
• Alors pourquoi tu l’as acheté?/Pourquoi tu l’as acheté alors ? – So/then why did you buy it?/Why did you buy it then?

Alors can also be used when in English you might say “so” or “well”. And just like in English, it has the full range of nuances, depending on how and when you say it.

Here are just a couple of examples:

• Alors ? – So? Well? (with a rising, questioning intonation – could mean “what do you want?” “how did it go?” “did you find it?” etc. depending on the context)
• Alors ! – Well then! (with a falling intonation, kind of like “I told you so!”)
• Bah alors ! – Well then! There, there! (depending on how you say it, it could mean anything from “well what did you expect?” or “serves you right” to “there, there” said to comfort someone!)

#8 Quand Même – All The Same, Anyway

I remember hearing this expression a lot when I was first learning French. Then – and when I finally worked out how to use it myself, I felt that my French had suddenly made a big jump forward.

It’s such a typically French expression that’s more than just another vocabulary item. And sometimes its meaning defies translation.

The basic sense is something like “all the same”. But you'll hear it used in all kinds of situations with varying nuances. Check out these examples:

• Je ne veux pas y aller mais je vais y aller quand même – I don’t want to go but I will go all the same (the meaning is close to “anyway” – I will go even though I don’t want to)
• Il est quand même un bon jouer – He’s a good player all the same (perhaps some doubt has been expressed about the player’s abilities and the speaker accepts the point but wants to stress that he’s still a good player – ‘yes, sometimes he’s lazy, but he’s a good player all the same’)
• C’est cher mais c’est bon quand même ! – It’s expensive, but it’s good though! (here, the idea being expressed is that although the food is expensive, it’s very good so it’s worth the money)

Quand même can also be used alone as a kind of exclamation to express the idea that something is impressive or considerable.

• Example: C’était combien ? 1.300€. Quand même ! – How much was it? €1,300. Wow, not exactly cheap! (the meaning is that the price is quite considerable – try to imagine it being said with a Gallic rise of the eyebrows, a slight tilt of the head, a little exhalation and a facial “shrug”!)

Other Useful Connectors In French

Most of these words are similar to the English equivalents.

#9 Pourtant – Yet, Still

Similar to “yet” or “still” in English.

• Example: Il est pourtant venu – Yet he came/he still came/yet he still came
• Example: Et pourtant, il est quand même venu – And yet he still came

#10 Cepandant – However

• Example: Il est beau. Cepandant je le trouve très bête – He’s handsome. However, I find him very stupid

#11 (Tout) D’abord – First (Of All)

• Example: D’abord, je vais chercher mon manteau – First, I’m going to fetch my coat

#12 En Général – In General

• Example: En général, ils sont tous comme ça – In general, they’re all like that

#13 En fait – In fact, Actually

Also, see actuellement in the “False Friends” section at the end.

• Example: En fait, je préfère la bière – In fact, I prefer beer

#14 Quant à – As For, Concerning

• Example: Quant à mes amis, ils préfèrent le vin – As for my friends, they prefer wine

#15 D’ailleurs – Moreover, Furthermore

• Example: Non, je ne l’ai pas invité. Et d’ailleurs, je lui ai dit de ne pas venir – No, I didn’t invite him. And moreover, I told him not to come

#16 Au Contraire – On The Contrary

• Example: Au contraire, ce n’est pas du tout ce que je voulais dire – On the contrary, that’s not what I meant at all

#17 Malgré – Despite

• Example: Malgré tout, elle l’aime toujours – Despite everything, she still loves him

#18 Sinon – Otherwise

• Example: Tu lui diras. Sinon il va oublier – Tell him. Otherwise he’ll forget

#19 Dès Que – As Soon As

• Example: On va partir dès qu’il arrive – We’ll leave as soon as he arrives

#20 Quoique – Whatever

This expression is always followed by a subjunctive verb in French .

• Example: Il ne me croit pas, quoique je dise – He doesn’t believe me, whatever I say

#21 Sans Doute – Without

• Example: Sans doute, c’est pour ça – Without doubt, that’s why

#22 Par Contre – On The Other Hand

• Example: S’il fait beau, j’irai. Par contre, s’il pleut, je reste ici – If the weather is good, I’ll go. On the other hand, if it rains, I’ll stay here

#23 En Plus – Furthermore, Additionally, As Well

• Example: Il a volé mon portefeille, et en plus, il m’a insulté ! – He stole my wallet, and furthermore, he insulted me!

#24 Surtout – Above All

• Example: Et surtout, il ne faut pas le dire à personne ! – And above all, you mustn’t tell it to anyone!

#25 De Toute Façon – Anyway

• Example: De toute façon, je vais lui dire – I’m going to tell him anyway

Connectors In French For Expressing Your Opinion

These are words and phrases for when you need to express your opinion.

#26 Je Pense Que… – I Think That…

• Example: Je pense que tu as tort – I think you’re wrong

#27 À Mon Avis – In My Opinion

• Example: À mon avis, ce n’est pas le cas – In my opinion, that’s not the case

#28 Pour Moi – For Me

• Example: Pour moi, ce n’est pas la peine – For me, it’s not worth it

#29 Selon – According To

• Example: Selon mon professeur, ça se dit comme ça – According to my teacher, that’s how it’s said

Connectors In French: False Friend Alert!

To finish, here are a couple of connecting words that many English speakers get wrong – as do many French speakers when they use the English versions.

#31 and #32 are slightly different from English and are easy to confuse. The last is one of the most notorious false friends in the French language.

#30 En Effet – Indeed, Actually

This doesn’t quite mean ‘in effect’. It’s closer to ‘indeed’ or ‘actually’.

• Example: En effet, c’est tout à fait vrai ! – Indeed, it’s completely true!

#31 Finalement – In The End, After All

Be careful here – finalement doesn’t mean “finally” as in “he’s finally arrived”. The true meaning is “in the end” and is used, for example, when the final outcome is not what you expected.

• Example: Ah ! Alors finalement tu as décidé de venir ! – Ah! So you decided to come in the end!

#32 Enfin – Finally, At Last, At Least

If you want to say “finally”, the correct word is enfin – it expresses the idea that something you have been waiting for has finally happened.

• Example: Il a enfin réussi à vendre sa maison ! – He’s finally managed to sell his house!

It also has another meaning that is similar to “at least” in English.

• Example: Il a vendu sa maison. Enfin, c’est ce que j’ai entendu – He sold his house. At least, that’s what I heard

#33 Actuellement – At The Moment, Currently, Right Now

Actuellement DOES NOT mean “actually”! If you want to express “actually”, the closest French expression is en fait (in fact).

Actuellement means “currently” or “at the moment”, and this is why sometimes French people will say things like “I’m busy actually” – they really mean “I’m busy right now”.

• Example: Je ne suis pas disponible actuellement – I’m not available right now/currently

Connectors In French: A Quick Way To Improve Your French

Many of these words are invaluable since they can help you express yourself much more clearly and accurately.

Plus, there are no complicated grammar rules to learn. You can sound more natural and fluent with minimal effort.

En plus , by incorporating them into your active French vocabulary, you can make yourself sound much more like a native speaker.

Et finalement , that’s the goal that everyone is hoping to achieve!

This list is a great start point. But now it's over to you. As you read French and listen to French , notice these connectors. Observe how native people use them in their conversations. How do they pronounce them? Where and when do they use them.

This is great preparation for using them in your conversations with French speakers.

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Le présent: the present tense in French grammar

When to use le présent, how to conjugate the present tense in french, type 1 -ir verbs, type 2 -ir verbs, important irregular verbs: avoir, être, aller and faire.

• Lingolia Plus French

What is le présent ?

The present tense in French grammar (le présent) corresponds to the English simple present . It talks about facts, current situations and repeated actions in the present, as well as scheduled future actions. To conjugate a verb in the French present tense, we add specific endings to the infinitive of the verb depending on whether it ends in -er, -ir or -re.

Learn all about le présent in French grammar with Lingolia’s quick and easy examples, then put your knowledge to the test in the exercises.

Je m’appelle Félix. Tous les mardis, je m’entraîne à jouer aux échecs.

Le cours a lieu de 17h à 19h. Les autres joueurs et joueuses sont très sympathiques.

Je joue aux échecs depuis cinq ans.

Vendredi prochain à 14 heures, je participe à un concours de jeu d’échecs. J’ espère gagner !

We use the French present tense to express:

• facts and ongoing situations in the present
• actions that happen once, multiple times or never in the present
• a future action that is already planned or agreed upon (requires a specific future time indicator)
• the duration of actions that started in the past and are ongoing in the present. Note: French uses the present tense to express this idea, but English talks about duration using the present perfect simple or continuous tenses.

To conjugate French verbs in the present tense, we remove the infinitive ending (-er, -ir or -re) and add the following endings:

The table below shows the present tense conjugation of -er verbs:

Spelling Rules and Exceptions

• For verbs ending in -ger , we add an e before the letter o in the nous form in order to preserve the pronunciation of the g .
• For verbs ending in - cer , the c becomes ç before the letter o in the nous form in order to preserve pronunciation.
• For verbs ending in -yer , the y becomes an i in the singular forms as well as in the 3 rd person plural. (For verbs ending in - ayer , we can write either i or y .)
• For many verbs that end in - eler or - eter, the final consonant is doubled before a silent e . (Exceptions: acheter buy , déceler discover , geler freeze , haleter pant , harceler harass , modeler model , peler peel )
• If the final syllable of the word stem contains an e or é, we give it a grave accent ( accent grave ) in its conjugated forms (apart from the 1 st and 2 nd person plural).
• Remember: the verb aller is irregular .

The majority of -ir verbs belong to type 1, which means that the plural forms add -iss- before the present tense endings:

Many common verbs are conjugated in this way: applaudir applaud , choisir choose , divertir amuse , fleurir bloom , grandir grow , grossir put on weight , guérir cure , haïr hate , maigrir lose weight , nourrir nourish/feed , obéir obey , pâlir go pale , punir punish , ralentir slow down , remplir (re)fill , réjouir celebrate , réunir meet , réussir succeed , rougir blush , saisir grasp , vieillir to age , etc.

Type 2 -ir verbs can be divided into two kinds: verbs that are conjugated in the same way as -er verbs, and verbs that are conjugated with -s/-s/-t in the singular forms

*Other verbs that follow the same conjugation include: accueillir welcome , couvrir cover , cueillir gather , découvrir discover , ouvrir open , souffrir suffer , etc.

**Other verbs that follow the same conjugation include: courir run , fuir run away , mentir lie , partir leave , sentir feel , servir serve , sortir go out , etc.

Note: the verbs venir and tenir are completely irregular .

Regular -re verbs are conjugated as follows:

* The following verbs are conjugated in the same way as construire : conduire drive , cuire cook , déduire deduce , détruire destroy , instruire instruct , introduire introduce , nuire harm , produire produce , reproduire reproduce , réduire reduce , séduire seduce , traduire translate .

** The following verbs are conjugated in the same way as vivre: suivre follow , poursuivre chase , revivre relive , survivre survive .

Spelling Rules & Exceptions

• Verbs ending in -aître (traditional spelling) or -aitre (official spelling since 1990) such as connaître/connaitre know , paraître/paraitre appear , naître/naitre be born and their variations such as reconnaître/reconnaitre recognise , disparaître/disparaitre disappear , renaître/renaitre be reborn are conjugated as follows: Example: connaître know – je connais, tu connais, il/elle/on connaît, nous connai ss ons, vous connai ss ez, ils/elles connai ss ent

Many verbs that end in -ire (boire drink , croire believe , dire say , écrire write , faire do/make , lire read , plaire please , rire laugh ...) are irregular and change their stem in the plural forms. There is no general rule to learn the conjugations of these verbs, it’s best to learn them by heart.

Verbs that end in -dre and -tre

The verb prendre take and its related forms apprendre learn , comprendre understand , surprendre surprise , etc. lose the d in their plural forms. In addition, the n is doubled in the ils/elles form.

Verbs that end in -indre (atteindre wait , craindre fear , éteindre turn off , joindre combine , peindre paint , plaindre pity , teindre dye ...) lose the d in the singular and plural forms. In addition, we transform the n to gn in the plural forms.

Verbs that end in - oir such as recevoir receive , apercevoir glimpse , concevoir design , décevoir disappoint , percevoir perceive are conjugated as follows:

Note: the verbs avoir have , devoir must , mouvoir move , pouvoir be able to , savoir know , voir see und vouloir want are irregular and are not conjugated in the same way as recevoir . Check out their conjugations on our page on irregular verbs in French and practise in the exercises.

Le présent continu: the present progressive in French

The présent continu , also known as the présent progressif or the présent duratif , is the French equivalent of the present progressive in English (I am doing, he is going, etc.). Like its English counterpart, it demonstrates that an action or event is in progress at the moment of speaking.

The présent continu is formed as follows:

present tense conjugation of être + en train de + infinitive

How good is your French?

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To personalize your experience, 100 most common french verbs.

This is a good place for beginners to find the most common French verbs to learn. The order of the list is an approximation based on a variety of sources.

For more verbs, all with full conjugations, see the full list of French verbs

Irregular verbs are in red

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70 Advanced French Vocabulary Words

Now that you’ve got your grammar down pat, we can bring back the excitement with some challenging vocabulary, including advanced French verbs, adjectives and expressions .

In this post, we’ll look at a list of truly grown-up French words, ranging from the tricky, to the slightly naughty, to the very, very French.

On y go (an English-inflected French neologism of on y va , or “let’s go”)!

1. Aboutir à

2. affirmer que, 3. affubler, 4. amener  , 5. apercevoir, 6. atteindre, 7. constituer, 8. craindre, 9. déchaîner, 10. déclencher, 11. déculotter, 12. demeurer, 13. déroger, 14. disposer de, 16. émoustiller, 17. engendrer, 18. entamer, 19. entraîner, 20. éprouver, 21. exister, 22. faire des bêtises, 23. figurer, 26. mener à, 28. occasionner, 29. paraître, 31. posséder, 32. préciser que, 33. prétendre que, 34. recueillir, 35. représenter, 37. se diriger, 38. s’agir de, 39. s’éléver à, 40. souligner que, 41. trouver, 43. l’abnégation, 44. le/la bisounours, 45. la calotte, 46. la colimaçon, 47. la contrée, 48. la détente, 49. la kyrielle, 50. la lame, 51. la œnologie  , 52. le parallélépipède  , 53. la quincaillerie, 54. le raidillon, 55. la serrurerie, 56. à l’abri, 57. abracadabrant, 58. abracadabrantesque, 59. argentique, 60. argotique  , 61. boursouflé, 62. digital, 64. exécrable, 66. imberbe  , 67. numérique   , 68. rocambolesque, 70. d’ailleurs, resources to learn advanced french words.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

To end up with, to lead to. Just like English, French has lots of ways to describe causality.

La réunion a abouti à un compromis. (The meeting led to a compromise.)

To affirm, say with certainty. Looking for some alternatives to dire (to say)? Try this one for added emphasis.

Il  affirme que les commerçants de la region s’en sortent « plutôt bien » cette année. (He affirms that the region’s shopkeepers are doing “pretty well” this year.)

To get up in or to deck oneself out in (referring to an article or articles of clothing). Instead of using  habiller  (to dress) or s’habiller (to dress oneself), why not add a bit more color to your French and test out  affubler?

Marie affublait sa petite fille de robe de princesse pour aller au cinéma. (Marie decked her little girl out in a princess dress to go to the movie theater.)

A secondary definition is to ridicule. It’s the more metaphorical, abstract version of the first. Instead of dressing someone (or oneself) in clothing, it refers to “dressing someone up” with a moniker that is demeaning.

Je n’oserais pas vous affubler d’un tel qualificatif. (I wouldn’t dare call you such a thing.)

“Such a thing” here could be along the lines of “doofus,” “jerk,” etc.

To bring about. Not to be confused with mener à , for which see below.

Ce travail est destiné à amener les changements. (This work is destined to bring about changes.)

To catch sight of, to glimpse. When  voir  (to see) is just too straightforward, get this irregular verb up in your vocab.

Si tu vas en Californie, tu apercevras des célébrités. (If you go to California, you will catch sight of celebrities.)

To reach, to get to.

Ma mère atteindra ses 60 ans l’année prochaine. (My mom will be 60 years old next year.)

To make up or constitute.

Cette loi constitue une avancée majeure pour les droits de l’homme. (This law constitutes a major advancement for human rights.)

To be afraid . A voir peur de  has the same meaning, but this word is easier to throw around once you’ve got the conjugation figured out.

Je crains d’oublier tous ces mots. (I’m afraid of forgetting all these words.)

To unleash.

En Europe, l’immigration est un sujet qui déchaîne les passions. (In Europe, immigration is a subject that unleashes passion.)

Which is to say, it is a widely debated topic.

To trigger, to set off.

Ce genre d’extremisme pourrait déclencher une guerre. (This kind of extremism could trigger a war.)

To defeat in an embarrassing or flagrant way . But leave it to French to have a verb that literally translates to taking off someone’s underwear, or “to pants” someone!

Marc s’est fait déculotter par Marie quand elle a exposé ses mensonges. (Marc was embarrassed by Marie when she exposed his lies.)

To remain, to dwell, to reside.

La musique peut exercer une influence si puissante sur une personne qu’elle ne peut qu’en demeurer émue. (Music can have such a powerful influence on a person that they cannot but be moved.)

To depart from, to contravene the status quo (or the official terms that have been set).  France is often referred to as the  land of bureaucracy and d éroger is the type of word you’re bound to come across in the small print of a registration form or other official document in the context of law.

La loi ne peut pas déroger aux dispositions du Pacte. (The law cannot depart from the provisions of the agreement.)

To have available, to have at one’s disposal.

Charles dispose d’assez d’argent pour mener à terme son projet. (Charles has enough money at his disposal to finish his project.)

To bail out water (from a boat).

Les marins ont dû écoper l’eau de leur bateau pour ne pas couler. (The sailors had to bail out water from their boat in order to not sink.)

To get, to receive.  In this case, écoper almost always refers to a penalty or a punishment, like a fine.

Le conducteur a écopé une amende de 85 dollars pour un excès de vitesse.  (The driver received an 85 dollar fine for going over the speed limit.)

To excite, to render playful.  Émoustiller is most often used in the context of taste or other sensory pleasures, as in Émoustillez vos papilles!  which literally translates to “Excite your taste buds!” or “Whet your appetite!”

Le champagne émoustilla les invités. (The champagne excited/loosened up the guests.)

Aside from its primary definition, émoustiller  can also be used in the context of that  other kind of excitement (nudge, nudge, wink, wink), meaning to titillate or to arouse.

Frédéric n’avait pas manqué l’opportunité d’émoustiller les rares femmes présentes au travail. (Frédéric never missed the opportunity to arouse the few women present at work.)

To engender, to bring about.

Sa duplicité engendre des conflits dans le groupe. (His duplicity engenders conflict in the group.)

To start on . 

Je vais entamer mes devoirs ce soir. (I’m going to start on my homework tonight.)

To lead to, to involve.

Une carence de vitamin C peut entraîner des infections. (A vitamin C deficiency can lead to infections.)

To experience, to feel, to have.

Sarah éprouve toujours des difficultés à trouver la maison de Jennifer. (Sarah always has difficulties finding Jennifer’s house.)

To exist. Use this when you want to be more formal than il y a (there is or there are).

Il existe plusieurs raisons pour laquelle je ne suis pas allée au concert la semaine dernière. (There are many reasons why I did not go to the concert last week.)

To   get into mischief, act a fool, make a mess. 

Elle mange le riz avec un couteau. Elle fait des bêtises! (She’s eating the rice with a knife. She’s being foolish!)

To appear, to be present.

Votre nom figure sur la liste des adhérents. (Your name appears on the members list.)

Run for the hills! Flee! Hopefully you’ll read this more than speak it, but hey, you never know if you’ll need this for a future career as un espion  (a spy).

Les abeilles! Il faut fuir! (The bees! We must flee!)

To moan or whine. This refers to the sound you make when you’re feeling pain, not when you’re complaining that you don’t want to eat your kale.

Il a gémi quand il a vu qu’il était quatre heures du matin.  (He moaned when he saw that it was four in the morning.)

To lead to. Similar to amener , but in the opposite direction.

Cela ne doit pas mener à la conclusion que la loi est inutile. (This should not lead to the conclusion that the law is useless.)

To tie or make a knot .

Il ne peut pas nouer ses chaussures ? (He can’t tie his shoes?)

To cause, to bring about.

Les travaux risquent d’occasionner une gêne aux clients. (The construction work might cause a disturbance to the clients.)

To seem like or to appear to be , like its slightly easier-to-pronounce synonym sembler.

Cela paraît étrange de manger le petit déjeuner pendant la nuit, mais j’aime bien. (It seems strange to eat breakfast during the night, but I like it.)

To struggle. Feel free to use this for every struggle in your struggle book, from French vocabulary to accidentally leaving the TV remote in the kitchen.

Je peine à me réveiller le matin. (I struggle to get up in the morning.)

To have, to contain.

La maison de Scott et Laura possède un très beau mobilier. (Scott and Laura’s house has very beautiful furnishings.)

To explain, to clarify.

Le président a précisé que la loi ne s’appliquera que l’année prochaine. (The president clarified that the law would only be applied next year.)

To maintain, to purport, to claim.

Les résidents prétendent que le maire a utilisé un langage inapproprié dans sa réponse lorsqu’il a laissé entendre que les impôts n’augmenteront pas. (The residents maintain that the mayor used poor word choice in his response because he made it seem that the taxes would not increase.)

To get, to obtain, to receive.

La candidate a recueilli 20% des votes. (The candidate has received 20% of the votes.)

To depict, show, represent or embody.

Les garçons représentaient moins de 20% de l’ensemble des élèves. (Less than 20% of the students were boys.)

Les conditions restent favorables. (The conditions remain favorable.)

To head for or to move towards. It’s the reflexive of the verb d iriger, which means to move, guide or manage, and it sometimes includes the preposition vers  (around) in its construction.

Elle criait, alors je me suis dirigée vers la sortie. (She was screaming, so I headed for the exit.)

To be, to be about. It’s used in the expression il s’agit de.

J’ai lu un article dans lequel il s’agit du gaspillage alimentaire. (I read an article that is about wasting food.)

To come to, to amount to.

La facture s’élève à 200 euros. (The bill comes to 200 euros.)

To emphasize, to stress, to highlight, to underscore.

Le médecin a souligné qu’une alimentation trop grasse et sucrée est nocive pour la santé. (The doctor stressed that a diet too fatty and sugary is bad for one’s health.)

To find. You can use it literally or figuratively, as in “I find that funny.” It’s more formal than il y a , but less than exister .

On trouve plusieurs variétés de plantes dans cette forêt. One finds several species of plants in this forest.

To be worth.  Use it to talk about how many expensive treasures you have in your closet or use it more figuratively.

Cette bague vaut plus que ta maison. (This ring is worth more than your house.)

Self-denial, self-sacrifice.

Collette mène son travail de recherche avec beaucoup d’abnégation. Sept jours sur sept, elle se lève à 5h et se couche à minuit. (Collette is undertaking her research with a lot of self-denial. Seven days a week, she wakes up at 5 in the morning and goes to bed at midnight.)

Naive. The connotation is rather pejorative and condescending. A portmanteau of bisou (kiss)   and nournours (teddy bear),  bisounours was originally used as the French name for the Care Bears franchise (remember Care Bears?!). It has since made its way into everyday life.

On n’est pas au pays des bisounours! (We’re not in la-la land! / Get real!)

A skull cap (formally, the Belgian kind) or  a slap on the head (informally). The  formal French version and the informal version of this noun are vastly different!

Sa mère n’aime pas quand elle donne une calotte à son frère. (Her mom doesn’t like when she hits her brother [on the head]).

You can use colimaçon  as you would escargot or snail —when talking about gardening, or your greatest fears—but when you’re visiting Notre Dame while traveling through France , try wowing your tour guide by referencing son escalier en colimaçon   (spiral staircase).

Region, land. This word is mostly used in literature.   It’s more “Madame Bovary” than Elle magazine.

Au printemps, cette contrée revêt un tout autre caractère. (In spring, the land takes on a whole new character.)

The relaxation of political tension, or, alternatively, when  something physically relaxes . It also can translate to mean a gun trigger .

On espère qu’un jour on aura une détente entre tous les pays. (One hopes that one day there will be a relaxation of tension between all the countries.)

Plethora, host, multitude, bunch.

Le répertoire présente toute une kyrielle d’exemples de stratégies fructueuses. (The inventory offers a plethora of examples of successful strategies.)

Blade . Hopefully it’s not in your vocabulary a whole lot, unless you work in a kitchen, or a… knife store? But you’ll see it a bit in literature , especially if you like adventure novels.

Ne joue jamais avec une lame! (Never play with a blade!)

The science of winemaking. (Did you really think you’d get through this post without a wine mention?) A true amateur  (lover) of wine will know that an œnologue (a winemaker) is not the same thing as a  sommelier (a wine steward) .

Après ses études d’œnologie, François Raget a accepté de diriger l’entreprise familiale. (Upon completion of his studies in winemaking, François Raget agreed to run the family business.)

Parallelepiped or a solid whose six faces are parallelograms. I know, I know, this isn’t a math blog, but I couldn’t resist throwing this one in for good measure, so to speak.

Le volume du bâtiment est constitué d’un simple parallélépipède recouvert de panneaux préfabriqués. (The volume of the building consists of a parallelepiped covered with prefabricated panels.)

Hardware store.

Tu n’as qu’à aller à la quincaillerie pour acheter de la peinture. (All you have to do is go to the hardware store to buy paint.)

Cheap jewelry, trinket (usually metal).

Dimanche dernier nous avons trouvé pas mal de quincaillerie au vide grenier. (Last Sunday, we found quite a few trinkets at the yard sale.)

Slope. This vocabulary word is especially useful if you live in the hills.

Le raidillon là-bas est parfait pour faire du skateboard. (The slope over there is perfect for skateboarding.)

Locksmith’s trade, locksmithing.

Les serrures sont des pièces de serrurerie.  (Locks are locksmithing items.)

Try saying this three times fast!

Under cover , as in: It’s a twister! Get under cover! It’s a monster! Get to safety! 

Il arrive; tout le monde trouve un endroit à l’abri! (He’s coming; everyone find a place under cover!)

Bizarre, weird, befuddling.  This word is a derivative of the magical incantation “Abracadabra.”   I don’t know about you, but I love words that sound   like what they mean.

Cette histoire est abracadabrante! (This story is bizarre!)

Ludicrous, incredible (as in lacking credibility).  A riff on abracadabrant , this is a neologism first used by Arthur Rimbaud and later resuscitated by President Jacques Chirac in a television interview in the year 2000, in reference to accusations of misuse of public funds during his presidency. His exact words were:

Je suis indigné par le procédé, par le mensonge, par l’outrance. Il doit y avoir des limites à la calomnie. Aujourd’hui, on rapporte une histoire abracadabrantesque. (I am outraged by the behavior [of those here], by the lies, by the excess. There must be limits to slander. Today, we’re brought back to a preposterous story.)

Today, abracadabrantesque  is used rather playfully in place of abracadabrant , as a sort of  clin d’œil  (wink)   to a very memorable French political scandal.

Not digital, analog. This literally translates to “silvery” and refers to photographs or photographic practice with rolls of film.

Mon professor d’art est de la vieille-école. Il ne fait que la photographie argentique. (My art teacher is old school. He only does analog photography.)

Slangy.  Ar got  is French for “slang.” Argotique is   its adjectival form.

Thomas utilise un langage argotique et parfois j’ai du mal à comprendre ce qu’il dit. (Thomas uses slangy language and sometimes I have trouble understanding what he says.)

Swollen, puffed up.

Arnaud a fait une réaction allergique, il a la bouche boursouflée. (Arnaud had an allergic reaction; his mouth is swollen.)

Relating to fingers. This is a faux ami that always trips up 21st-century French learners.

Le dossier contient nos empreintes digitales.  (The file contains our fingerprints.)

Nomadic or wandering . This comes from the present participle of the verb  errer  (to wander), so you can use this adjective to describe your international adventures or your eccentric aunt who moves around in her RV every two weeks.

Je rêve de la vie errante. (I dream of the nomadic life.)

Detestable, appalling, heinous.

L’homme a été condamné à l’enfermement à perpétuité pour ses crimes exécrables. (The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for his heinous crimes.)

Mes enfants sont exécrables quand ils ne font pas la sieste. (My children are obnoxious when they don’t take a nap.)

To be stealthy or secretive. Technically, furtive is an English word as well. It’s not a super common one, but all the same.

Nous avons besoin de quelqu’un de furtif pour notre équipe. (We need someone stealthy for our team.)

Beardless, bare-faced —a concise way of saying sans barbe (without a beard). This can also be used in a more figurative way to talk about someone (usually a guy) who’s young and naive.

Depuis son retour d’Allemagne, Charles est imberbe. (Since his return from Germany, Charles is clean-shaven.)

Digital, as in digital technology. So going back to my earlier photography example,  un appareil photo numérique  (not digital)  refers to a digital camera. Whew.

Nous vivons dans l’ère numérique. (We live in the digital era.)

Fantastic, extraordinary, unbelievable. 

Stella décrit l’expérience unique, parfois rocambolesque mais toujours passionnante que représente la vie d’une cinéaste allemande en France. (Stella describes the unique, sometimes unbelievable, but always passionate life of a German filmmaker in France.)

Like this or in this way. It’s a great word to get bossy with—you’ve probably seen this word thrown around once or twice, but kept forgetting to look it up.

Il faut danser ainsi. (One must dance like so.)

By the way, moreover or   besides —its literal meaning is “from elsewhere.” Need more French filler words  than  donc  and  alors ?   Look no further than this favorite.

D’ailleurs, tu as quelque chose entre tes dents. (By the way, you have something between your teeth.)

After going through this list, you might be looking for some ways to practice these words. Get started with these:

• Forvo : When it comes to learning any word, making sure you know how to properly pronounce it is important. On Forvo, you can listen to how native speakers pronounce any word. It lets you quickly search for a word and find its pronunciation, usually spoken by a number of different people.
• FluentU : You can expand your French vocabulary with this language program, which uses native French media clips like TV show clips, music videos and talks. Each video has interactive subtitles that show you the meaning of each French word, plus you can save new vocabulary and review them with personalized quizzes.
• Quizlet : Flashcards are the tried-and-true method of learning new words. Quizlet lets you create your own fun flashcard decks to review with. You can also search for decks other users have created.
• Tandem : There is no better way to practice new words than with native speakers. But, it’s not always possible to find a speaker near you. That’s where Tandem comes in. Here, you can find a language partner to practice with—you can teach them English while they teach you French. It’s a perfect exchange!

And there you have it.

French is a very colorful language.

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Essayer: j'essaie, or j'essaye?

I was confused how I should conjugate the verb essayer , or any other ones like nettoyer .

I looked up in a conjugation website,

J'essaie / ye

I'm guessing that means both j'essaie and j'essaye are accepted. However, my teacher said to use j'essaie .

Which one is correct? If both are accepted, is there any difference?

• conjugaison

• 2 In newspaper and other media, you will find: essaie. Go with what your teacher said. –  Lambie Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 21:45
• 1 Yes, even if both are correct, the -aie form is much more common. –  biozic Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 22:12
• Do you guys have hard data about that? –  Frank Commented Jan 17, 2017 at 22:23
• According to ngram, the they are very close . –  Teleporting Goat Commented Jan 18, 2017 at 15:07
• @TeleportingGoat I think it's due to the fact that you chose "English"... if you choose "French" for the "corpus", then the result is significantly different... –  Yai0Phah Commented Jan 22, 2017 at 17:50

It looks like both are in regular use today, and that this is also the case for "payer", "balayer", as well as any other verb in "-ayer". I am not aware of any rule mandating to use one rather than the other when writing vs. speaking.

The pronunciation is slightly different though: "j'essaye" would sound at the end like "pareil", whereas "j'essaie" would sound like "sait".

I am not aware that one pronunciation or the other would have this or that connotation. It is even possible for native speakers to use both in the same conversation.

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Language learning, getting fluent faster, and Clozemaster

40+ French Transition Words to Boost Your Vocabulary

For anyone learning a language, transition words usually aren’t first on the list. But after you’ve mastered nouns and common French phrases , transition words are key for stringing your sentences together. In fact, transition words are what transform your broken French into the smooth, swoon-worthy language you’ve always dreamed of speaking. So what are you waiting for? Master this list of French transition words and take your vocabulary to the next level.

Comme has a variety of definitions depending on the context, making it an important transition word to learn. First off, comme can be used to mean like or as when you’re comparing or contrasting two things or ideas. It can also mean since  when used at the beginning of a sentence.

Puisque has a similar meaning to comme , meaning because or since . It’s a great tool for offering an explanation in the middle of a sentence, or justifying a thought or action in response to a question.

Translating directly to then , puis makes its way into many conversations and stories. The best part about puis is that its simple and easy to remember when you’re searching for a transition word in conversation.

Also is one of the most commonly used words in modern English, popping up across written and verbal language. En outre is its French equivalent.

This is a handy term that you’re bound to use in everyday conversation. It means because and it can be used to respond to questions or transition between phrases.

This can mostly be interchanged with parce que for a shortened version of because . However, more advanced French speakers use this word as something slightly more like since or for in conversation.

Similarly to puis and car , this go-to transition term is great for moving between multiple thoughts in a sentence. Pour que means so that when explaining why you did or thought something. It can also be used to support a proposition or plan.

Quand is an additional word that works well at the beginning of sentences. It means when . This word can also be combined with other words for a slightly more complex definition. For example, quand meme means even so, and n’importe quand (literally meaning  it’s not important when ) means whenever.

Lorsque is a more formal version of one of the most common French transition words:  quand. G enerally, it has the same meaning.

The word que is a multidimensional tool that can change a word’s meaning and transform it into a transition word. This is seen with alors que . Here’s how that works: alors means so , but adding que changes the meaning to whereas – an important transition word.

If you’re a fan of the word so , you’re going to love its French translation. Donc can be used as a filler word, a question, or to explain things, among many other uses.

Je soutiens donc que

After you’ve mastered the art of donc , see how it can be added to other phrases to mix things up. With je soutiens donc que , you can express something like I maintain that . It’s a more polite way to share your strong beliefs with someone, especially around strangers or colleagues where the conversation is more formal.

Similarly to donc , you might enjoy using the word bref . It means in short when summarizing an event or occurrence. Since bref looks similar to the English word brief , this is an easy one to pull out in a bind.

Considérons

Another helpful transition word for polite conversations is considérons . This means let’s consider and is used at the beginning of a phrase that expresses an alternate point of view. It is an important word for engaging in deeper dialogue that proposes multiple points of view.

Enfin is a multi-purpose word with many meanings, depending on the context in which it is used. On a basic level, it means end . Beyond that, enfin can be sort of a filler word (albeit more sophisticated than um ). Think of it more like the way we say well or I mean before we express an opinion in English.

à la fin is also used to express the end of something. However, it is used in a more specific way to mean at the end , and can’t be used as a filler word like enfin . It is best used when recounting a story, or when describing the plot of a book or movie.

Pour commencer

Now that you know how to express the concept of ending something, how about touting the start of something? Pour commencer means to start with or for starters and is best used at the beginning or end of a sentence.

Not to be confused with enfin , en fait is easy to remember because it has quite a literal translation in English. En means in and fait means fact . En fait = In fact . Easy, right?

This word looks a little like depending or dependent in English, but it instead means however or nevertheless.

This transition word is easy to remember because it looks like in contrast , which is essentially what it means. This phrase is also used to say on the other hand .

Au contraire

Likewise,  au contraire is one of those French transition words that looks like its English counterpart. It means on the contrary .

D’un part / d’autre part

D’un part is used when expressing two varying ideas or points of view. It means on one hand… and is best at the beginning of a sentence. Once an idea is introduced with d’un part , it should be followed up with d’autre part , which is a perfect way to interpret the phrase on the other hand.

Ainsi que means as well as and it can be used in two different contexts. For the first usage, use it to transition between two items that you’re ordering at a restaurant. Je voudrais le salad ainsi que le viande. (I would like the salad as well as the meat). Ainsi que can also mean just as or as well , like when you’re saying the film was just as sad as I thought it’d be.

Autrement dit

If you know that dit refers to something that was said in discussion, than autrement dit should stick well in your mind. It literally translates to another saying and means in other words.

This phrase means first of all and it works well when recounting a story or giving directions or instructions. When writing, it’s also helpful when starting a sentence.

This is also a helpful transition word for giving directions or telling a story. It translates directly to next.

You probably know that après means after. But après que differs from the word  après because it is supposed to be used after a verb. It is also used to talk about something that definitely happened in the past, rather than when proposing uncertain future terms. You can also use après with the word cela, which means after that.

In the same vein, avant que should be used after a verb. Avant by itself simply means before, and it can be used to start a sentence or phrase.

Making plans for tonight? Want to set up a date for tomorrow? Learn plus tard . As one of the simplest French transition words, it means later. Y et it’s used ubiquitously throughout French conversation.

Although this seems like it would mean “good that” it actually has a different meaning. Use bien que to mean even though or although between thoughts or before a phrase.

When making goals or plans, say dès que to express as soon as … to set up a phrase. Another way to say as soon as , albeit longer, is aussitot que.

This fun and subjunctive-friendly phrase will certainly take your French to the next level. It means no matter what and is helpful for starting a well-intentioned belief.

Tant que falls into the same realm as quoi que, meaning as long as. Don’t forget to add the que onto this phrase, because tant by itself is used to express a general quantity, like many.

D’aprés moi

Expressing your ideas and beliefs? Then you should know how to start a sentence correctly. This phrase means according to me. You can also say à mon avis, which means in my opinion. For another idea on expressing your opinion, try saying selon moi – which has a tendency to roll off the tongue with ease.

Je suis contre

Je suis contre is a more direct way to express your opinion about something. It translates directly to I am against in English. It’s beneficial to know when someone asks you your beliefs on something. It’s also a good way to get yourself out of an uncomfortable situation when traveling or in unknown surroundings.

De toute façon

Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself in a conversation where you’ll want to change the subject. Keep this transition short and light with de toute façon , which means anyway… and provides space for a new topic.

Boosting Your Vocabulary with French Transition Words

Learning to speak and write French is a challenging endeavor with long lasting benefits. Amp up your knowledge and become an impressive smooth talker by keeping these French transition words in your back pocket.

Want to learn how to use these transition words in context? Check out Clozemaster – thousands of sentences to help you learn French faster.

3 thoughts on “40+ French Transition Words to Boost Your Vocabulary”

Pingback: Top 10 Podcasts in French to Improve Your Listening | Clozemaster

I’ve been studying French for 2 months now, this content is great for beginers! Thanks for posting!

It’s really helpful to summarize these transition words! I feel I have learned some difficult words in an easier way than I expected! Though I cannot say I understand them well since I’m a beginner, I feel l’ll definitely be more concentrated whenever I meet with them in my future learning of French! Great thanks!

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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

• composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

• essay question
• photo - essay

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Dictionary Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 6 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

Kids Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on essay

Nglish: Translation of essay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of essay for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essay

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