puisque

Since with Puisque

Level 3

Use puisque (since/as) to justify a conclusion using a fact that everyone already knows. It is more about logic and persuasion than providing new information.

How It Works

The conjunction puisque is a powerful tool for logical reasoning in French.

1. Known Information:
The primary difference between puisque and other causal words is the 'status' of the information. If you are telling someone something they don't know, use parce que. If you are reminding them of something obvious to justify what you are saying, use puisque.

  • Je ne sors pas parce qu'il pleut. (I'm not going out because it's raining — maybe you didn't look outside).
  • Puisqu'il pleut, restons à la maison. (Since it's raining [as we can both see], let's stay home).

2. Restricted Elision:
Unlike the word que, puisque only undergoes elision (becoming puisqu') before a specific set of words. This is mandatory before the pronouns il, ils, elle, elles, on, en and the indefinite articles un, une.

  • Puisqu'il est là... (Since he is here...)
  • Puisqu'une solution existe... (Since a solution exists...)

In other cases, even before a vowel, the 'e' is usually maintained (e.g., puisque après...).

3. Rhetorical Use (Indignation or Irony):
Beyond simple logic, puisque is often used to justify a decision based on someone else's behavior, frequently expressing annoyance or irony (similar to "fine then" or "if that's how it is").

  • Puisque c'est comme ça, je pars ! (Since that's how it is, I'm leaving!)
  • Puisque tu sais tout, fais-le toi-même. (Since you know everything [ironic], do it yourself.)

4. Placement:
Unlike comme, which almost always starts a sentence, puisque can be placed at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

5. Mood:
Even though it ends in 'que', puisque is followed by the indicative mood (standard verb forms), not the subjunctive.

Examples (4)

  1. Puisque tu es là, tu peux m'aider.

    Since you are here, you can help me.

    Word by Word: Since you are there, you can me to help.

    The speaker uses 'puisque' because the fact that the person is 'here' is obvious to both parties.

  2. Je m'en vais, puisqu'il ne m'écoute pas.

    I'm leaving, since he isn't listening to me.

    Word by Word: I myself from go, since he not me listens not.

    Note the elision (puisqu') before the vowel 'i' in 'il'.

  3. Puisqu'il fait beau, nous devrions sortir.

    Since the weather is nice, we should go out.

    Word by Word: Since it makes beautiful, we should to go out.

    This justifies the suggestion to go out based on the visible nice weather.

  4. On peut commencer puisqu'ils sont arrivés.

    We can start since they have arrived.

    Word by Word: One can to start since they are arrived.

    The arrival is a known fact that allows the action of starting to proceed.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'puisque' to answer a direct 'Pourquoi ?' (Why?) question with new info.

    Pourquoi es-tu en retard ? Puisque j'ai raté le bus.
    Pourquoi es-tu en retard ? Parce que j'ai raté le bus.

    If the listener doesn't know why you are late, 'parce que' is required. Using 'puisque' here would sound sarcastic, as if the listener should already know you missed the bus.

  • Confusing 'puisque' (cause) with 'depuis' (time).

    Je t'attends puisque ce matin.
    Je t'attends depuis ce matin.

    In English, 'since' can mean 'because' or 'from a point in time.' In French, 'puisque' is only for 'because/given that,' while 'depuis' is used for time duration.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

puisqueLevel 3Since with Puisque

Learn This First

To use 'puisque' effectively, you need to understand how to structure basic sentences and how French handles vowel clashes (elision). Most importantly, you should already be familiar with 'parce que' to understand when to use 'puisque' instead to refer to information already known to your listener.

Words in This Pattern

puisque