eLanguage.com


Learn to Speak French Online:
French Grammar Guidebook

« Back to the Guidebook Index | Learn to Speak™ French Deluxe

Sentence Structure
(1st of 12) 		Next

In English, the conjunction "that" is often omitted in sentences.
 

Je suis sûr(e) que vous avez raison.
I'm sure (that) you're right.
Je crois qu'elle a tort.
I think (that) she's wrong.

However, in French que must be retained.
 

Nous pensons qu'il est en train de travailler.
We think (that) he's working.
Dites-lui que vous avez déjà parlé avec elle.
Tell him (that) you already spoke with her.

How do you know when to use the conjunction que in French? Whenever your sentence has two fully conjugated verbs and no conjunction (such as "and," "but," "or," "although," etc.), then you need to add que.

When does "that" NOT indicate a conjunction?
 

That dress is nice. (article that modifies "dress")
You should know that that's not nice. (first "that"=conjunction; second "that"=demonstrative pronoun)

Whenever you can drop the "that" from a phrase OR replace it with a definite article WITHOUT causing a change in meaning or a grammatically incomplete phrase, "that" is not a conjunction.



Examples of Que as Conjunction

  • Sylvie m'a dit que tu as attrapé un rhume.
  • Tu ne veux pas que je t'aide?