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Grammar
Objective: Distinguish donc, alors, c'est pourquoi, and par conséquent, and place each one in its correct register and sentence position.
| Connector | Register | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| donc | neutral | between clauses | Il pleut, donc je reste. |
| alors | spoken | between clauses | Il pleut, alors je reste. |
| c'est pourquoi | written, argumentative | introduces the consequence clause | Il pleuvait, c'est pourquoi nous sommes restés. |
| par conséquent | formal, written | introduces the consequence clause | Le train est annulé, par conséquent, nous partirons demain. |
Par conséquent belongs to formal or written registers and would sound out of place in an everyday sentence. Donc is the neutral default.
Donc stands between the two clauses without additional commas. The commas around it in English are not carried over into French.
Donc is the neutral connector, appropriate in every register. It stands between the two clauses without additional commas.
Alors introduces the consequence in a conversational register. The verb coucher is reflexive and takes être in the passé composé.
C'est pourquoi belongs to argumentative registers and introduces the consequence clause. The past facts appear in the imparfait and passé composé as their roles require.
Par conséquent belongs to a formal written register and takes a comma after it when it opens the consequence clause.
The philosophical statement places donc between two independent clauses. The connector ties the two clauses into a single logical argument.
7 exercises · about 11 minutes
C'est pourquoi belongs to argumentative or written registers. In casual conversation the spoken connector alors is the natural choice.
Alors follows the same punctuation rule as donc and stands between the two clauses without additional commas.
Donc follows the verb crois and emphasises the logical link between the belief and the clause that follows, as also shown in the post-auxiliary position in il a donc décidé de partir.
In the passé composé, donc sits after the auxiliary a and before the past participle. It highlights the decision as the logical outcome.
Alors here carries its temporal meaning (at that time), not a consequence meaning. The same word has two distinct roles.