What is the difference between "parce que" and "car"?

The difference between "parce que" and "car" is that the first is a subordinating conjunction and the second is a coordinating conjunction. "Parce que" can be used at the start of a sentence. It also introduces the direct cause of something. However, "car" can only be used after a comma; this is because it usually introduces something of a justification for what we have just said.To make things clearer, we can take two similar sentences.Marie est malade, car je ne l’ai pas vue aujourd'hui.Here we are justifying the sentence we have stated before 'car', or why we think Marie is ill (because we haven't seen her today).
Marie est malade, parce qu'elle a trop mangé.Here we are giving a direct cause as to why Marie is ill (because she has eaten too much). This isn't the justification behind what we think, but the reason behind her being ill.

Answered by Ian G. French tutor

35777 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I form the perfect tense of regular verbs in French?


What do 2 dots above a vowel mean?


What is the speaker trying to have less of? L’année dernière, j’ai commencé à manger plus équilibré. Maintenant je mange une salade mixte à tous les repas. Je mange aussi plus de poisson qu’avant, souvent avec du riz. Je bois moins de coca.


What is the difference between the past and the imperfect tense?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy