Les Connecteurs — linking words | French Grammar
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Linking words — sound structured instead of choppy. This guide explains Les Connecteurs in French with clear rules, real examples and practice for every CEFR level. For instance: « first » — D’abord, on visite le musée.
Les Connecteurs
Linking words — sound structured instead of choppy
1. Raconter dans l’ordre
| Connecteur | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| d’abord | first | D’abord, on visite le musée. |
| ensuite / puis | then | Ensuite, on déjeune. |
| enfin | finally | Enfin, on rentre. |
2. Argumenter
| Connecteur | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| mais | but | C’est cher, mais c’est bon. |
| donc | so / therefore | Je pense, donc je suis. |
| car / parce que | because | Je reste, car il pleut. |
| pourtant / cependant | yet / however | Il est riche, pourtant il est triste. |
| par contre | on the other hand | Le plat était bon ; par contre, le service… |
3. Le français parlé
| Connecteur | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| en fait | actually | En fait, je préfère le thé. |
| du coup | so (super common!) | Il pleuvait, du coup on est restés. |
| bref | anyway / in short | Bref, on a raté le train. |
| quand même | still / all the same | C’est quand même incroyable ! |
💡 Pour le DELF et les conversations
Examiners reward structure : d’abord… ensuite… enfin + cependant + donc instantly lift your production orale.
In speech, du coup is everywhere — the Swiss-army “so”. In writing, prefer donc / par conséquent.
Fillers buy thinking time : en fait… bref… bon… — natives use them constantly.
📚 Free French lessons at learnfrench.co
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
First… then… finally = d’abord… ___ … ___ (sequence)
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ensuite … enfin
the spoken “so” = du ___ (native filler)
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coup
however = ___ (formal) (written French)
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cependant
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🎯 More practice — translation — put it into French
Translate into French: « First we visit, then we eat, finally we go home. » (translation)
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D’abord on visite, ensuite on mange, enfin on rentre.
Translate into French: « It was raining, so we cancelled the picnic. » (translation)
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Il pleuvait, du coup on a annulé le pique-nique.
Translate into French: « It’s hard, yet I love it. » (translation)
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C’est difficile, pourtant j’adore ça.
Go further: get the full picture in our guide DELF B2 — a realistic study plan that works.
Les Connecteurs in French — FAQ
How do you use Les Connecteurs in French?
Linking words — sound structured instead of choppy. Follow the rules and patterns in the lesson above, and practise with real sentences like « first » (D’abord, on visite le musée).
Can you give an example of Les Connecteurs in French?
Yes — « first » means « D’abord, on visite le musée », and « then » means « Ensuite, on déjeune ». The lesson above has many more examples with explanations.
What CEFR level is Les Connecteurs?
This topic is introduced around B1 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 « Les Connecteurs » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →