Small connecting words are the glue of any language. Mastering French prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, and question words will allow you to build longer, more natural sentences and express relationships between ideas. This guide provides a clear French–English reference for over 40 of the most common connecting words.
Question Words
- where → où
- which → quel (masculine), quelle (feminine), quels (masculine plural), quelles (feminine plural)
- who → qui
- why → pourquoi
- how → comment
- when → quand
- what → que (before verb), quoi (after preposition or informally), qu'est-ce que
Conjunctions (Connecting Clauses)
- while → tandis que
- because → parce que, car
- if → si
- and → et
- but → mais
- or → ou
- so / therefore → donc
- as / like → comme
Prepositions (Relationships of Place, Time, Direction)
- about → sur, au sujet de
- above → au-dessus de
- after → après
- against → contre
- at → à, en train de (in the process of)
- before → avant
- behind → derrière
- between → entre
- by → par, de
- down → en bas de
- during → pendant
- for → pour (duration or purpose), depuis (since/for with time)
- from → de, à partir de
- in → dans (inside), en (general, feminine countries, materials)
- of / from → de
- on → sur
- to / at / in (cities) → à
- with → avec
- without → sans
Adverbs of Time & Frequency
- again → encore
- ago → il y a (time ago), depuis (since/for)
- always → toujours
- during → pendant
- just (recently) → juste, venir de + infinitive
- now → maintenant
- soon → bientôt
- then → puis, ensuite
- today → aujourd'hui
- tomorrow → demain
- yesterday → hier
Adverbs of Quantity & Degree
- all → tout, toute, tous, toutes
- also → aussi
- both → tous les deux
- enough → assez
- even → même
- far → loin
- lot / many / much → beaucoup (de)
- main → principal (adjective)
- most → le plus, la plupart de
- more → plus
- only → seulement, ne...que
- quite / rather → assez, plutôt
- so / such → si, tellement
- too (excessively) → trop
- very → très
Adverbs of Place
- back → arrière (en arrière = backwards)
- down → en bas
- far → loin
- here → ici
- inside → à l'intérieur
- outside → dehors
- there → là, y (pronoun)
- up → en haut
- where → où
Important Usage Notes
- Encore can mean 'again', 'still', or 'more' depending on context.
- Depuis + present tense = has been ...ing (e.g., J'apprends le français depuis 3 ans – I have been learning French for 3 years).
- Il y a + time = ago (e.g., Il y a deux jours – two days ago).
- Même can mean 'even' or 'same' (e.g., même moi – even me; le même – the same).
- Beaucoup de + noun (no 'des'): beaucoup d'enfants (many children), not beaucoup des enfants.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using pour instead of depuis to express 'for' + duration (e.g., J'habite ici pour 3 ans – incorrect; use depuis 3 ans).
- Confusing ou (or) and où (where) – the accent matters.
- Using dans vs. en for 'in' (dans = inside/enclosed, en = general/feminine countries/materials).
- Forgetting that quel must agree with the noun (masculine/feminine/plural).
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct French word:
- I work ___ 8 AM ___ 5 PM. → Je travaille ___ 8 heures ___ 17 heures.
- She is ___ school. → Elle est ___ l'école.
- We have been waiting ___ two hours. → Nous attendons ___ deux heures.
- ___ (which) book do you want? → ___ livre veux-tu ?
- He is ___ (both) intelligent ___ (and) funny. → Il est ___ intelligent ___ drôle.
Final Thoughts
These small words appear in almost every French sentence. Rather than memorizing them in isolation, practice using them in context by writing short sentences or speaking about your daily routine. With regular exposure, you will naturally learn which word to use in each situation.