French subordinators (also known as subordonnants or conjonctions de subordination) are words that primarily indicate that the clauses they introduce are subordinate to the main clause. In French, subordinators form a distinct lexical category and include words such as que (that) and si (whether/if).
Syntactically, these subordinators typically precede the subordinate clause. Semantically, they are primarily functional, serving to connect the subordinate clause to the main clause without adding significant meaning themselves.
In French linguistics, the term subordonnant is commonly used to include, along with subordinators, relative pronouns, and prepositions. This article deals only with subordinators.
Key French subordinators include:[1] [2]
Each subordinator can be illustrated with examples:
Like English, French distinguishes subordinators from other grammatical categories such as prepositions and adverbs. A major difference is that the subordinators are semantically empty, while other words – such as comme ("like"), lorsque ("when"), puisque ("since") – that have been loosely described as conjonctions de subordination have particular meanings.