Published April 27, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Vu que is a French connector word that translates to “given that”. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use it with examples featuring native audio, how to pronounce it, and the subtle difference between vu que vs étant donné que.
📘 Vu que meaning
Vu que is a French expression meaning “since”, “because”, or “given that”. It introduces a reason or explanation, often in everyday speech. Vu is the past participle of voir (to see), so the expression originally carries the idea of “seeing that” or “in view of the fact that”.
🎧 Vu que pronunciation
The pronunciation of vu que is /vy kə/ (IPA), which sounds roughly like “vyoo kuh”.
📝 Vu que examples
Je m’en vais, vu que personne ne m’écoute.
I’m leaving, because nobody is listening to me.
Vu qu’elle travaille, elle ne peut pas venir.
Since she is working, she cannot come.
Vu que tu as raison, je ne dis plus rien.
Since you are right, I’m not saying anything anymore.
C’est fermé, vu qu‘on est dimanche aujourd’hui.
It’s closed, seeing that it’s Sunday today.
Étant donné que is the closest synonym to vu que.
👉 Learn how to use étant donné que here.
💡 Vu que vs étant donné que – What’s the difference?
Vu que and étant donné que both mean “since”, “because”, or “given that” in French, but vu que is more common in everyday spoken language, while étant donné que sounds more formal and is used more often in writing or careful speech. In many situations, they are interchangeable — the main difference is tone and register.
You can often swap them without changing the meaning:
➞ Vu qu’il pleut, on reste ici.
➞ Étant donné qu’il pleut, on reste ici.
Given that it’s raining, we’re staying here.
➞ Vu qu’elle travaille, elle ne vient pas.
➞ Étant donné qu’elle travaille, elle ne vient pas.
Since she is working, she isn’t coming.
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- étant donné que — given that
- parce que — because
- puisque — since, seeing that
- comme — since, as
- du fait que — due to the fact that
- dès lors que — once, since
- considérant que — considering that
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