This collection of lessons was created by David Issokson, a McGill graduate and French teacher since 2014. Each lesson explains common words or expressions with clear explanations and real-life examples. All of the audio was recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a native French speaker and professional voice artist.
French connector words are the small but powerful words that make your speech flow naturally. They link ideas, bridge thoughts, and help you sound smooth and confident when speaking French. Most lessons focus on individual verbs or vocabulary, but to truly speak fluently, you need these “glue words” — the ones that hold sentences together.
Common examples include et (and), mais (but), and donc (therefore). More advanced ones like cependant (however), en revanche (on the other hand), and d’abord (firstly) help you express contrast, sequence, and cause more naturally.
In this lesson, you’ll find the most useful French connector words and linking expressions, grouped by purpose — addition, contrast, cause, consequence, and more — to help you communicate clearly and sound fluent in any conversation.
Most Useful French Linking Words for Everyday Conversation
🔤 Basic connectors (A1–A2)
- et – and
- mais – but
- ou – or
- donc – so / therefore
- alors – then / so
- aussi – also
- parce que – because
- car – because / for
- ensuite – next / then
- puis – then
- comme – like / as
⚖️ Contrast & opposition
- cependant – however
- pourtant – yet / however
- néanmoins – nevertheless
- quand même – anyway
- tout de même – anyway
- au contraire – on the contrary
- en revanche – on the other hand
- par contre – on the other hand
- malgré – despite
- alors que – even though / while / whereas
- tandis que – while / whereas
- même si – even if
- bien que – although
- quoique – even though
- quoi qu’il en soit – regardless
➕ Adding or emphasizing
- de plus – moreover
- en plus – in addition
- d’ailleurs – by the way / moreover
- en effet – indeed
- surtout – especially
- non seulement… mais aussi – not only… but also
- encore – still / yet / again
- d’une part… d’autre part – on one hand… on the other
- d’un côté… de l’autre – on one hand… on the other
🧭 Ordering & explaining
- d’abord – first
- premièrement – firstly
- enfin – finally
- par la suite – afterwards / subsequently
- en résumé – in summary
- autrement dit – in other words
- c’est-à-dire – that is to say
- par exemple – for example
- notamment – notably / especially
- en général – generally
💡 Cause & consequence
- étant donné que – given that, since
- grâce à – thanks to
- à cause de – because of
- puisque – since
- d’autant que – especially since
- par conséquent – consequently
- du coup – so / as a result
- ainsi – thus
- de ce fait – therefore
- pour que – so that
- afin que – in order that
⚙️ Expressing conditions
- à condition que — provided that, as long as
- dans la mesure où — insofar as / to the extent that / since
- si — if
- à moins que — unless
- pourvu que — provided that, as long as
- au cas où — in case
- à supposer que — assuming that
📌 Topic connectors
- au sujet de — about, regarding
- à propos de — about, regarding
- concernant — concerning
- en ce qui concerne — as far as … is concerned
- quant à — as for
- par rapport à — in relation to
🏁 Conclusion & summary
- en conclusion – in conclusion
- pour finir – to finish
- tout compte fait – all things considered
- en somme – in short
- bref – in short
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🗂️ Connector Word Reference Card
Save this visual list for your future reference — it’s a quick guide to the most useful French connector words and their meanings.
🇫🇷 Keep building your vocabulary!
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