Opposition et Concession — mais, pourtant, bien que, malgré | French Grammar
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“but”, “however”, “although” — the DELF connectors. This guide explains Opposition et Concession in French with clear rules, real examples and practice for every CEFR level. For instance: « everyday » — J’aime le thé, mais je préfère le café.
Opposition et Concession
“but”, “however”, “although” — the DELF connectors
1. L’OPPOSITION (two contrasting facts)
| Connecteur | Registre | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| mais | everyday | J’aime le thé, mais je préfère le café. |
| par contre | spoken | C’est cher ; par contre, c’est bon. |
| en revanche | written | Il est timide ; en revanche, elle est extravertie. |
| alors que / tandis que | + indicatif | Il dort, alors que je travaille. |
2. LA CONCESSION (expected result… doesn’t happen)
| Connecteur | Suivi de | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| pourtant / cependant | phrase | Il pleut ; pourtant, il sort. |
| quand même | after verb | C’est dur, mais je le fais quand même. |
| malgré | + NOM | Malgré la pluie, on est sortis. |
| bien que / quoique | + SUBJONCTIF | Bien qu’il pleuve, il sort. |
| avoir beau | + INFINITIF | Il a beau essayer, il échoue. |
3. Le duel classique (same idea, different grammar)
| Suivi de | Exemple | |
|---|---|---|
| malgré | un NOM | malgré le froid |
| bien que | un SUBJONCTIF | bien qu’il fasse froid |
💡 Pourquoi c’est du B2
Concession = you acknowledge X, then say the opposite happens anyway. It shows nuanced thinking — exactly what DELF rewards.
The big trap: bien que and quoique ALWAYS take the subjonctif : « bien que ce soit difficile ».
Malgré takes a NOUN ; bien que takes a CONJUGATED verb (subjunctive). Same meaning, never interchangeable grammar.
Elegant native move: « Il a beau être riche, il n’est pas heureux » = No matter how rich he is, he isn’t happy.
📚 Free French lessons at learnfrench.co
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
although it’s hard = bien que ce ___ (être) difficile (subjunctive!)
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soit
despite the rain = ___ la pluie (+ noun)
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malgré
though it’s cold = ___ qu’il fasse froid (+ subjunctive)
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bien
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🎯 More practice — translation — put it into French
Translate into French: « Although he’s tired, he keeps going. » (translation)
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Bien qu’il soit fatigué, il continue.
Translate into French: « Despite her efforts, she failed. » (translation)
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Malgré ses efforts, elle a échoué.
Translate into French: « No matter how much it rains, we’re going hiking. » (translation)
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Il a beau pleuvoir, on part en randonnée.
Go further: DELF B2 — a realistic study plan that works.
Opposition et Concession in French — FAQ
How do you use Opposition et Concession in French?
“but”, “however”, “although” — the DELF connectors. Follow the rules and patterns in the lesson above, and practise with real sentences like « everyday » (J’aime le thé, mais je préfère le café).
Can you give an example of Opposition et Concession in French?
Yes — « everyday » means « J’aime le thé, mais je préfère le café », and « spoken » means « C’est cher ; par contre, c’est bon ». The lesson above has many more examples with explanations.
What CEFR level is Opposition et Concession?
This topic is introduced around B2 and refined at higher levels — pick your level from the links at the top of the page. You can also drill it with the interactive exercises and games below.
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🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Opposition et Concession » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →