Linking ideas
Parce que, quand, mais and qui to join ideas, and que and où at Higher.
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Linking ideas, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Join ideas with et, mais, ou and donc
Short connectives make longer sentences: et (and), mais (but), ou (or) and donc (so). J'aime le sport mais je déteste le rugby. Watch the accent, because ou is or and où is where.
Give reasons with parce que and car
Parce que means because, and becomes parce qu' before a vowel: parce qu'il fait beau. Car means the same and suits writing: je reste à la maison car je suis malade.
Say when with quand
Quand joins a time to an action: quand il pleut, je reste à la maison. It works in every tense: quand j'étais petit, j'habitais à Lille.
Put events in order
D'abord (first), ensuite and puis (then) and enfin (finally) give a story its order: d'abord, j'ai mangé, puis je suis parti. They make a description of your day easy to follow.
Give an opinion with je pense que
Je pense que, je crois que and je trouve que give opinions. French never leaves out que, though English can drop that: je pense que c'est cher means I think it is expensive.
Use qui for who, which and that
Qui links a noun to the verb that follows it, for people and things alike: j'ai une sœur qui adore le tennis, c'est un film qui fait peur. Qui never shortens to qu'.
Use que when a new subject followsHigher only
Que links a noun to a clause with its own subject: le film que j'ai vu, la fille que tu connais. It becomes qu' before a vowel, and in the perfect the participle agrees with it: la robe que j'ai achetée.
Use où for where and whenHigher only
Où links a place or a time to a clause: la ville où j'habite, le jour où je suis né.
Linking ideas key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Connective
- A word that joins ideas, such as et, mais, donc or parce que.
- parce que
- Because, followed by a subject and a verb: parce que j'aime les animaux.
- car
- Because or for, a slightly more formal word than parce que: je suis fatigué car j'ai couru.
- Relative pronoun
- A word that links a noun to a description of it, such as qui or, at Higher, que and où.
- qui
- Who, which or that, followed by a verb: le garçon qui chante means the boy who is singing.
- d'abord
- First, at the start of a sequence: d'abord, je me lève means first, I get up.
- je pense que
- I think that. The que is always there in French: je pense que oui means I think so.
- que as a relative pronounHigher only
- Which, that or whom, followed by a subject and a verb: le livre que je lis means the book I am reading.
- où as a relative pronounHigher only
- Where or when, after a place or a time: la maison où j'habite means the house where I live.
Common mistakes in Linking ideas
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving out que after an opinion verb, as in je pense c'est bien.
French always keeps que: je pense que c'est bien. Before a vowel it becomes qu': je crois qu'il vient.
Writing qu' for qui, as in un ami qu'habite à Paris.
Qui never shortens: un ami qui habite à Paris. Only que becomes qu'.
Writing parce que as one word, as in parceque.
Parce que is two words, and que shortens before a vowel: parce qu'elle est gentille.
Mixing up ou and où.
Without an accent, ou means or, as in thé ou café. With one, où means where, as in la ville où j'habite.
Using qui where a new subject follows, as in le film qui j'ai vu.Higher only
If a subject and a verb follow, use que: le film que j'ai vu. Use qui when the verb follows straight away: le film qui commence.
Practice
Try a Linking ideas question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which connective fits best? J'adore les maths. ___, je trouve l'anglais difficile.
- Donc
- Parce que
- Par contre
- Si
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Par contre
Loving maths and finding English hard are a contrast, so par contre (on the other hand) fits: I love maths. On the other hand, I find English difficult.
- Sentence one: I love maths.
- Sentence two: I find English difficult.
- Opposite feelings take par contre.