Today’s lesson explains the difference between the expressions grâce à and à cause de. Both expressions can translate to “because of” or “due to”.
Grâce à, à cause de
Because of (thanks to, due to)
Explanation
There is a clear difference between grâce à and à cause de. The French use grâce à to express positive attribution (thanks to; with the help of) and à cause de to express negative attribution (due to the fault of).
Example sentences
These example sentences make the difference between the two expressions very clear.
Martin a réussi son examen grâce à un bon prof.
Martin passed his exam thanks to a good teacher.
L’équipe a perdu le match à cause de l’arbitre injuste.
The team lost the game due to an unfair referee.
Je reste chez moi à cause de la pluie.
I’m staying home becuase of the rain.
The expression grâce à Dieu means “thank God”.
Grâce à Dieu on a assez de nourriture.
Thank God we have enough food.
Discover more
- Expressions of cause
- Pronoun on – we, you, people in general
- L’Action de Grâce – Thanksgiving
- Rester – to stay
- Chez – at the home of
- Assez de – enough
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
