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A sentence that contains two or more conjugated verbs is known as a complex sentence (une phrase complexe). These sentences are made up of two or more clauses, whereas simple sentences (les phrases simples) only contain one conjugated verb.
Fiona cuisine pour ses invités.
Fiona a oublié d’acheter du lait quand elle a fait les courses.
Fiona va vite acheter du lait avant que ses invités arrivent et elle termine le dessert à temps.
une proposition indépendante
A simple sentence that exists in isolation without connection to another clause.
une proposition subordonnée
A dependent clause that cannot form a sentence on its own; it always exists in relation to a main clause.
une proposition principale
Similar to an independent clause, but it introduces a subordinate clause. It retains its meaning if the subordinate clause is removed.
Connecting independent clauses with a comma or semi-colon.
Connecting with conjunctions like mais, ou, et, donc, or, ni, car.
Subordinate clauses depend on a main clause and are usually introduced by a conjunction or relative pronoun.
Give more info about a noun.
Act as the direct object referring back to the main verb.
Explain when, why, how, or conditionally an action happens.
Use a participle form of the verb to shorten a clause (has a different subject).
Master the formation and connection of French complex sentences through targeted drills.
Je suis fatigué parce que j'ai mal dormi.
I'm tired because I slept badly. (subordination)
Il fait froid, donc je mets un manteau.
It's cold, so I'm putting on a coat. (coordination)
La femme qui habite au-dessus que j'ai rencontrée hier est artiste.
The woman who lives upstairs whom I met yesterday is an artist. (multiple clauses)
Quand je suis arrivé, il était déjà parti.
When I arrived, he had already left. (temporal subordination)
Je ne sais pas si elle viendra ou si elle restera chez elle.
I don't know if she'll come or if she'll stay home. (multiple subordinations)
Bien que ce soit difficile, je continue à étudier.
Although it's difficult, I continue studying. (concessive subordination)
Je suis fatigué, parce que j'ai mal dormi.
Je suis fatigué parce que j'ai mal dormi.
In French, no comma before parce que when it introduces a reason that follows naturally. A comma is only used when the subordinate clause comes FIRST: 'Parce que j'ai mal dormi, je suis fatigué.' This is the opposite of English, which always uses a comma before 'because.'
Je pense que tu as raison, mais que tu te trompes.
Je pense que tu as raison, mais que tu te trompes. (awkward) / Je pense que tu as raison, mais tu te trompes.
When combining coordination and subordination, keep your clauses parallel. 'Je pense que X mais que Y' is grammatically correct but sounds unnatural if X and Y are contradictory. Better: 'Je pense que X, mais Y' (drop the second que for contradiction).
Il a dit qu'il viendrait, et que il apporterait le dessert.
Il a dit qu'il viendrait et qu'il apporterait le dessert.
When repeating que after a coordinating conjunction (et que, mais que, ou que), use qu' before vowels (qu'il, qu'elle, qu'on). This ensures the que is maintained in the second clause — French requires que to be repeated, unlike English where 'that' can be omitted.
🧱 Lego Sentence Building
Building complex French sentences is like Lego: main clause = the base plate (foundation), coordinate clauses = same-size blocks you snap on (et, mais, ou, donc), subordinate clauses = special blocks that plug INTO the main one (que, quand, si, parce que). The rule is: you can stack coordinates freely, but subordinates must find a home in an existing clause. And QUE is the glue — once you start with que, every parallel clause needs its own que!
Complex sentence construction is assessed at B1/B2 in TEF/TCF Expression Écrite. At B1, you should write sentences with at least one subordinate clause. At B2, use multiple clause types in the same paragraph: a relative clause (qui/que), a causal clause (parce que/puisque), and a concessive clause (bien que + subjunctive). This demonstrates the syntactic range expected at B2. The 'que repetition' after et/mais/ou is a B2 detail examiners notice.
Explaining a complicated situation:
Pourquoi tu n'es pas venu à la réunion hier ?
Parce que ma voiture est tombée en panne et que mon téléphone n'avait plus de batterie. Je n'ai pas pu vous prévenir.
On a compris. Bien que tu n'aies pas pu venir, on a avancé et on t'a gardé les documents.
Merci de votre compréhension. La prochaine fois, je partirai plus tôt pour être sûr d'arriver à l'heure.
Practice building complex French sentences (coordination and subordination) with 20 interactive questions on PrepMyFrench. Instant scoring with grammar explanations.
Write a text combining coordination and subordination in French. Get instant AI feedback from PrepMyFrench, scored to TEF/TCF criteria.