Published April 13, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Étant donné que (given that, since) is one of those expressions you’ll hear all the time in spoken French. But what does it actually mean, and how is it used in real-life situations? Find out with Marie’s practical audio examples.
📘 Étant donné que meaning
Étant donné que means “given that”, “since”, “because”, or “considering that” and is used to introduce a reason or explanation. Étant means “being” and is the present participle of être (to be), while donné is the past participle of donner (to give). There are two main forms: Étant donné que + clause (given that, since) and étant donné + noun (given, considering). Examples: Étant donné que tu es là, on peut commencer. Given that you’re here, we can start. Étant donné la situation, nous partons. Given the situation, we are leaving.
🎧 Étant donné que pronunciation
The pronunciation of étant donné que is /e.tɑ̃ dɔ.ne kə/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “ay-tahn doh-nay kuh”.
📝 Étant donné que examples
Je reste chez moi étant donné qu’il pleut.
I’m staying home because it’s raining.
Étant donné que le prix augmente, attendons encore.
Given that the price is increasing, let’s wait a bit longer.
Nous devrions y aller étant donné que c’est gratuit.
We should go as it’s free.
Étant donné que vous avez fini, vous pouvez partir.
Now that you have finished, you may leave.
👉 Master puisque, a similar word to étant donné que meaning “since”.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- vu que — given that, seeing that (informal)
- puisque — since, as
- à cause de — because of (often negative)
- grâce à — thanks to (positive cause)
- comme — since, as (often at the beginning of a sentence)
- du fait que — due to the fact that
- étant donné — given (used before a noun)
- en raison de — because of, due to
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