📖LearnModule 6 · Lesson 20 of 30Independent User · CEFR B1, first halfUnit 4 · Sentences that breathe
The connectors — cependant, donc, car
Module 6 of the free French course (CEFR B1, first half), lesson 20 of 30: Paragraph glue: cependant (however), alors (so then), car (because, the written one), comme (as, since). On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 20.
The words
French
English
Say it
donc
therefore
doh(n)k
cependant
however
suh-pah(n)-DAH(n)
alors
so / then
ah-LOR
car
because, for
kahr
comme
as, since
kohm
grâce à
thanks to
grahs AH
à cause de
because of
ah KOHZ duh
malgré
despite
mahl-GRAY
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Hear the words
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
La règle · The rule
Paragraph glue: cependant (however), alors (so then), car (because — the written one), comme (as, since), malgré (despite), grâce à (thanks to), à cause de (because of — for bad news).
Et aussi · And also
Grâce à for good causes, à cause de for bad ones: Grâce à mon frère, j'ai réussi. À cause de la pluie, le match est annulé. French files its blame precisely.
Attention · Watch out
grâce à is for good causes, à cause de for bad ones: grâce à mon frère, à cause de la pluie. Swap them and the sentence reads as sarcasm.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with donc.
Copy every word with its accents on paper; then cover the English column and write each meaning back from the French.
Write two sentences of your own that get the watch-out line right, then the two practice pages of workbook lesson 20 in Module 6 are the written half of this page.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Keep these words
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.