Knowing how to use “vu que” in a correct manner can help you broaden your grammar knowledge and therefore help you better your French communication skills. This is a phrase that can be translated to “given that” or “seeing that” in English. But, how can we use this in a sentence?
When can you use “vu que” in a sentence?
This is a phrase commonly used at the beginning of the sentence, when someone uses vu before a noun or a pronoun, you don’t put an e at the end of the word. This is a term that is used to introduce a consequence of a previous action.
“Vu que” is used to express indisputable facts, you can voice the reason why something happened or even how.
Vu que j’ai oublié mon parapluie, je suis trempé.
Given that I forgot my umbrella, I am soaked.
The consequence in this sentence is that the subject is soaked given that he forgot his umbrella.
Vu que tu n’as pas fini tes devoirs, tu ne peux pas aller jouer dehors.
Seeing you haven’t finished your homework, you can’t go play outside.
Vu qu’il n’est pas arrivé, on doit continuer la réunion seuls.
Since he hasn’t arrived, we have to continue the meeting alone.
Avoid common mistakes using this phrase
Like with any other topic, you need to keep an eye out for common mistakes people make while using this french phrase.
- Using “vu que” rather than “parce que”. While they have similar expressions, you can’t use one instead of the other. “Vu que” means given that and is used to introduce a consequence while “parce que” means because and is used to give a reason.
- You need to make sure that the conjugated verb is used with the right verbal tense and person.
- Forgetting to mention the subject of the sentence after “vu que” because if you forget, the sentence can make no sense at all.
Now you can introduce a consequence with “vu que”
When using “vu que” the correct way, you can give and add more details to your sentences, and therefore, you’re improving your grammar and speaking communications skills in French. It’s very important to understand the meaning of this phrase and how to use it correctly to avoid common mistakes, but just like with everything else, practice makes perfect, so put your knowledge to the test and you’ll be using this phrase like a native speaker.
Keep learning about French grammar lesson: à moins que usage and examples