Basic linkers (parce que, donc, mais)

Je reste à la maison parce qu'il pleut.I'm staying home because it's raining.

Simple sentences only go so far. Once ideas need to connect — this happened because of that, so therefore this other thing, but here's a twist — French reaches for a small set of everyday linking words. Three do most of the work at this level: parce que for a reason, donc for a result, and mais for a contrast.

Quick shortcut: parce que answers "why?", donc means "so, as a result", mais means "but".

Parce que: giving a reason

Parce que ("because") introduces the reason for something. Most often it follows the main statement, joining the two parts into one sentence with no comma:

• Il reste chez lui parce qu'il est malade. (He's staying home because he's sick.)
• J'apprends le français parce que je vais en France. (I'm learning French because I'm going to France.)
• Elle est fatiguée parce qu'elle a beaucoup travaillé. (She's tired because she worked a lot.)

It can also open the sentence, with the main statement following after a comma: Parce qu'il pleut, je reste à la maison. (Because it's raining, I'm staying home.) Both orders are correct — the reason-first order just puts extra emphasis on the reason.

Like que elsewhere, parce que elides to parce qu' before a vowel or a mute h: parce qu'il, parce qu'elle, parce qu'on.

Parce que is also the natural answer to a question with pourquoi ("why"):

• — Pourquoi tu apprends le français ? — Parce que je vais en France. (— Why are you learning French? — Because I'm going to France.)

Two words look similar but aren't interchangeable: ✅ parce que answers "why", never ❌ pour que — pour que introduces a purpose ("so that") and needs a different verb form you'll meet at a later level. At this stage, just keep the two apart: parce que = because, pour + infinitive = in order to (Je travaille pour gagner de l'argent — I work (in order) to earn money).

Donc: giving a result

Donc ("so", "therefore", "as a result") introduces the consequence of what was just said. Unlike parce que, it usually opens its own clause after a comma, or even starts a new sentence:

• Il pleut, donc je reste à la maison. (It's raining, so I'm staying home.)
• Elle a beaucoup travaillé, donc elle est fatiguée. (She worked a lot, so she's tired.)
• Je n'ai pas d'argent. Donc, je ne peux pas venir. (I don't have any money. So I can't come.)

Notice the direction: in its ordinary, postposed position, parce que leads with the result and adds the reason afterward (Je reste parce qu'il pleut), while donc leads with the reason and adds the result afterward (Il pleut, donc je reste) — the same two facts, told in the opposite order.

Donc can also slide into the middle of a clause, right after a short verb like être, for a slightly more conversational feel: C'est donc pour ça qu'il est fatigué (So that's why he's tired) — here donc follows est, not the subject ce. At this level, though, starting the result clause with donc is the safe, everyday pattern.

Mais: giving a contrast

Mais ("but") joins two ideas that contrast with each other. It sits between the two parts, exactly like English "but":

• J'aime le café, mais je n'aime pas le thé. (I like coffee, but I don't like tea.)
• Il est jeune, mais il est très sérieux. (He's young, but he's very serious.)
• Elle veut venir, mais elle n'a pas le temps. (She wants to come, but she doesn't have the time.)

Mais doesn't change form and doesn't trigger any special word order — it's simply dropped between the two clauses it's contrasting.

Combining connectors

Real sentences often chain more than one of these together — the connectors don't interfere with each other:

• Il pleut, mais je sors quand même, parce que j'ai rendez-vous. (It's raining, but I'm going out anyway, because I have an appointment.)
• Je suis fatigué, donc je vais me coucher tôt, mais je dois d'abord finir ce travail. (I'm tired, so I'm going to bed early, but I have to finish this work first.)

Common mistakes

• ❌ Il pleut, pour que je reste à la maison. → ✅ Il pleut, donc je reste à la maison. (pour que is not "so" — it introduces a purpose, not a result, and needs a form you haven't met yet)
• ❌ Parce que il est malade → ✅ Parce qu'il est malade (elision before a vowel is required, not optional)
• An isolated Parce que + clause, with no preceding question and no main clause of its own, can sound incomplete in formal writing — ✅ it's fine as a spoken answer to a pourquoi question, and equally fine as a full sentence when it's followed by its own main clause (Parce qu'il pleut, je reste à la maison.)
• J'aime le café mais je n'aime pas le thé, mais je n'aime pas le lait — using mais twice in the same sentence isn't ungrammatical, but it reads heavily: vary the connectors or split into two sentences

Quick check

Choose the connector that fits.

1. Je suis content ____ j'ai réussi mon examen. (parce que / donc / mais)
2. Il fait froid, ____ je vais mettre un manteau. (parce que / donc / mais)
3. Elle aime la musique, ____ elle ne sait pas chanter. (parce que / donc / mais)
4. — Pourquoi tu pars ? — ____ je suis fatigué. (Parce que / Donc / Mais)

Key takeaways

• Parce que ("because") gives a reason and answers a pourquoi question — it elides to parce qu' before a vowel or mute h, and can either follow the main statement or open the sentence.
• Donc ("so", "therefore") gives a result — it usually opens its own clause, after the reason has already been stated.
• Mais ("but") joins two contrasting ideas — it doesn't change form or affect word order.
• The same two facts can be linked in either order: result-first with postposed parce que, or reason-first with donc.
• These connectors combine freely in longer sentences — mais, donc, and parce que can all appear together.