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.
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