📖LearnModule 8 · Lesson 2 of 30Independent User · CEFR B2, first halfUnit 1 · Cause, conséquence, but
Grâce à, à cause de, en raison de
Module 8 of the free French course (CEFR B2, first half), lesson 2 of 30: French splits its reasons by whether the outcome was good. 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 2.
The words
French
English
Say it
grâce à
thanks to
grahs AH
à cause de
because of (something bad)
ah KOHZ duh
en raison de
owing to
ah(n) reh-ZOH(n) duh
la grève
the strike
lah GREHV
les travauxplural
the road work
lay trah-VOH
en retard
late
ah(n) ruh-TAHR
fermé
closed
fehr-MAY
étant donné que
given that
ay-tah(n) doh-NAY kuh
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
French splits its reasons by whether the outcome was good. Grâce à means thanks to, and only for a welcome result: grâce à toi, j'ai réussi. À cause de is its opposite number, used when the result is unwelcome: à cause de la grève, je suis arrivé en retard.
Et aussi · And also
En raison de is the neutral one the notices use: en raison des travaux, la station est fermée. All three take a NOUN, not a clause — that is what separates them from parce que.
Attention · Watch out
grâce à, à cause de and en raison de take a NOUN, never a clause: à cause de la grève. For a clause use parce que, or étant donné que.
Do it now — on paper
Say all 8 words aloud twice from the respelling, then once from the French spelling alone — begin with grâce à.
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 2 in Module 8 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.