SUBORDINATIONS CONJUNCTING
CONJONCTIONS DE SUBORDINATIONS
Une conjonction de subordination est un mot-outil invariable qui sert à relier deux éléments syntaxiques de nature différente (une proposition à un verbe, souvent mais pas toujours placé dans la proposition principale). L’élément relié est appelé “subordonnée conjonctive” ou “complétive”.
Une conjonction de subordination fait donc partie du même type de mots-outils que les relatifs ou les prépositions.
Puisqu’elle relie deux éléments de nature différente, il est important de bien la distinguer d’une conjonction de coordination. (Voir plus haut).
Les locutions conjonctives sont des conjonctions composées de plusieurs éléments. En français elles contiennent très souvent la conjonction “que”.
Tableau récapitulatif des conjonctions de subordination et des locutions conjonctives et de leurs équivalents anglais.
(Nous choisissons de présenter les mots dans l’ordre alphabétique pour faciliter les recherches de traduction).
Une conjonction de coordination est un mot-outil invariable qui établit une relation de coordination entre deux éléments (mots, syntagmes (= groupes de mots), propositions, phrases) de même nature et, fait important, de même fonction.
Tableau récapitulatif des conjonctions de coordination en anglais
conjonctions | sens | équivalents français (1) | exemples |
and | addition | et | 1. He was tall and strong. |
but | opposition, restriction | mais | 2. It was sunny but very cold. |
either* | choix, alternative | ou, (soit : avec or) | 3. It’s either you or me. |
for | cause | car | 4. He stayed home for he didn’t feel very well**. |
neither*** | absence d’alternativeajout négatif | ni | 5. He was neither as strong nor as smart as she was. |
nor **** | absence d’alternativeajout négatif | ni | 6. That wasn’t his doing, nor mine.7. (That was neither his doing nor mine.) |
or***** | alternative, choix | ou, (soit : avec either) | 8. You can come or you can stay. Up to you. |
so | conséquence | alors, donc | 9. I was feverish, so I stayed in bed and called in sick. |
yet****** | opposition, restriction | néanmoins, cependant | 10. He was very sick, yet he got up and went to work. |
Légende:
(1) Les équivalents français ne sont pas toujours “rangés” dans la même catégorie grammaticale que les mots anglais.
* Fonctionne “en couple” avec or lorsqu’il est conjonction.
**L’emploi de for est très formel, un peu archaïque. On le remplace le plus souvent par la conjonction de subordination because.
*** Fonctionne “en couple” avec nor.
**** Fonctionne seul ou avec neither.
***** Fonctionne seul ou avec either.
******Ne pas confondre avec l’adverbe de temps.
conjonctions françaises | conjonctions anglaises | sens | exemples |
comme | as | cause comparaison manière temps | 1. As he didn’t feel too well, he stayed at home.2. I did as you told me.3. I did as I could.4. As I was arriving, it started to rain! |
lorsque | when | temps | 5. When I don’t feel well, I stay at home. |
puisque | since | cause | 6. Why don’t you do it yourself, since you’re so smart!? |
quand | when | temps | 7. When she saw me she ran away. |
que | that (ø) | objet | 8. He said (that) I was a liar. |
si | if | condition, supposition | 9. I’d do it myself if I could.10. If he is right, we should go without further delay. |
À tel point que | so much so that | conséquence | 1. He was feeling terribly sick indeed, so much so that he called in sick and stayed in bed. |
À condition que | provided/
providing that |
condition | 2. I’ll lend you fifty bucks provided you promise to pay me back before the end of the month. |
À mesure que | as | manière/tps | 3. He handed me the envelopes as he sealed them. |
À moins que | unless | condition (sine qua non) | 4. I won’t come unless I know she is not invited. |
Afin que /de | so as to | but | 5. He decided to have a good night’s sleep so as to be fit for his exam the next day. |
Alors que | while, whereas | opposition | 6. Doctors’ income has risen while / whereas that of nurses has declined. |
Après que | after | temps | 7. After she had left he started to relax. |
Attendu que | whereas (utilisé uniquement dans les textes légaux) | cause | 8. Whereas the defendant denies the facts… |
Au cas où | condition
éventualité |
9. Call him before you leave in case he is away. | |
Aussi bien que | as well as | manière comparaison | 10. You’re supposed to do as well as you possibly can / as well as your sister did. |
Aussitôt que | as soon as | temps | 11. Call me as soon as you arrive. |
Avant que | before | temps | 12. Get showered before the guest arrive, will you? |
Bien que | although | concession
opposition restriction |
13. Although his boss agreed to give him a raise, he keeps complaining. |
C’est pourquoi | so, that’s why | conséquence | 14. He kept complaining even after receiving a raise, so his boss finally fired him. |
Comme si | as if, as though | manière | 15. It was as though he could never be satisfied. |
Dans la mesure où | in as much as | condition | 16. I’ll agree to give you a substantial raise in as much as you agree to put in a few more hours. |
D’autant plus que | all the more so (since /as) | cause | 17. This article is very interesting, all the more so as it covers a very wide range of hot issues. |
De [telle] manière que/De sorte que | so that so as to | manière/ conséquence but | 18. He kept complaining day after day that he worked too hard so that after a few weeks the boss finally fired him.19. Make sure you get up early so as to arrive on time. |
De crainte que | for fear that | but | 20. Don’t tailgate that truck for fear that it might stop abruptly. |
De même que | just as | manière | 21. Just as I would find it unfair to sentence him |
De peur que | lest | but/ |