#44 : Parce que vs car

Word battles

Have you ever wondered about the difference between « parce que » and « car » in French? When I first saw the word "car," it was quite funny to me because all I could think of was this movie for which I have only watched the trailer.

"Parce que" and "car" both mean "because." If you ever come across these two words and wonder about the difference between them, this post is for you!

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So… two words for ‘because’?

Yes. To talk about a cause of something, one can use these words:

When we think about English, there are also more than two words that explain the cause of something, such as "because," "for," and "since."

Differences between « parce que » and « car »

« Parce que »

• It provides explanations to a "why" question.

• It can appear at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle.

« Car »

• It is used to justify a previous statement or when the reason is already somewhat understood.

• It only appears in the middle of a sentence with a comma and never at the beginning.
  

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Examples

• Pourquoi bois-tu du thé ? [Parce que/Car] je suis fatigué·e.

• Je bois du café, [parce que/car] je suis fatigué

• Il préfère les pâtes à la tomate, [parce que / car] c’est plus facile à cuisiner. 

• Les légumes sont meilleurs [parce que/car] ils ont plus de vitamines.

• [Parce que/car] je cuisine beaucoup, je suis en bonne santé

• C’est [parce que/car] j’aime bien des légume, je préfère la ratatouille

• Pourquoi es-tu en retard? [Parce que/car] j'ai manqué le bus.

• Il ne viendra pas, [parce que/car] il est malade.

‼️ Make sure to remind yourself… if there is no comma, then it is « parce que »! You use « car » if the word is in between the sentence AND there is a comma. Therefore, it really matters when you write. No need to stress too much when you speak. 😺

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I hope the unsolved mystery is solved for you! Happy learning 💕