C2 · Mastery Chapter 57

Advanced Connectors & Reported Speech

5 Total Rules
51 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the final layer of French eloquence through sophisticated connectors and nuanced reported speech structures.

  • Intensify your arguments using 'voire' to suggest even greater possibilities.
  • Sequence complex past events with perfect grammatical agreement using 'après avoir/être'.
  • Navigate hypothetical and modal shifts when reporting others' words or thoughts.
The ultimate polish for your French rhetorical mastery.

What You'll Learn

Dès lors, voire, modal nuances, and nuanced explanations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: emphasize a point by adding a more extreme alternative using 'voire'.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: construct complex sentences describing chronological events using the past infinitive.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to: use formal temporal connectors to establish immediate or consequential context.
  4. 4
    By the end you will be able to: explain motivations by contrasting a false assumption with the real reason using the subjunctive and indicative.
  5. 5
    By the end you will be able to: transpose complex modal nuances like 'could have' or 'should have' into reported speech.

Key Examples (8)

1

L'attente pour le nouveau jeu était longue, voire insupportable.

The wait for the new game was long, indeed unbearable.

The Intensifier 'voire' (Even / Indeed)
2

Ce bug est gênant, voire critique pour la sécurité.

This bug is annoying, even critical for security.

The Intensifier 'voire' (Even / Indeed)
3

Après avoir posté la photo sur Instagram, elle a éteint son téléphone.

After posting the photo on Instagram, she turned off her phone.

Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)
4

Après être arrivés à la gare, nous avons réalisé que nous avions oublié les billets.

After arriving at the station, we realized we had forgotten the tickets.

Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)
5

L'accord est d'ores et déjà signé par les deux parties.

The agreement is already signed by both parties.

French Advanced Connectors: 'Dès lors' & 'D'ores et déjà'
6

Il a perdu son téléphone ; dès lors, il était impossible de le joindre.

He lost his phone; consequently, it was impossible to reach him.

French Advanced Connectors: 'Dès lors' & 'D'ores et déjà'
7

Ce n'est pas que je ne veuille pas t'aider, mais c'est que j'ai une réunion sur Zoom à 14h.

It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I have a Zoom meeting at 2 PM.

Nuanced Explanations: Not that... but rather... (Ce n'est pas que... mais c'est que...)
8

Ce n'est pas qu'il soit impoli, mais c'est que il est très timide en vrai.

It's not that he's rude, it's that he's actually very shy.

Nuanced Explanations: Not that... but rather... (Ce n'est pas que... mais c'est que...)

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

Use sparingly

Don't use it in every sentence.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Intensifier 'voire' (Even / Indeed)
⚠️

The Present Trap

Never say 'après manger'. It's a huge error. Always add the auxiliary 'avoir' or 'être'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)
💡

Register Check

Only use these in formal writing or professional speaking. They sound weird in a café.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: French Advanced Connectors: 'Dès lors' & 'D'ores et déjà'
🎯

The Subjunctive Trigger

Always use the subjunctive after 'Ce n'est pas que' when you are talking about your own feelings or opinions. It makes you sound much more educated.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nuanced Explanations: Not that... but rather... (Ce n'est pas que... mais c'est que...)

Key Vocabulary (6)

voire even / indeed dès lors consequently / from then on d'ores [z]et déjà already / from this moment on prétendre to claim s'avérer to prove to be / to turn out insoupçonné(e) unsuspected

Real-World Preview

briefcase

A High-Level Strategic Meeting

Review Summary

  • [Idea A], voire [Idea B (more intense)]
  • Après + [avoir/être] + [participe passé]
  • Dès lors (Consequently) / D'ores et déjà (As of now)
  • Ce n'est pas que + [subjunctive] + mais c'est que + [indicative]
  • Verbe de déclaration + que + [sujet] + [conditionnel passé]

Common Mistakes

Confusing the homophones 'voir' (to see) and 'voire' (even/indeed). Always use the 'e' at the end for the intensifier.

Wrong: Il est fatigué, voir épuisé.
Correct: Il est fatigué, voire épuisé.

In the past infinitive with 'être', the past participle must agree with the subject of the main clause.

Wrong: Après être parti, elle a pleuré.
Correct: Après être partie, elle a pleuré.

The phrase 'Ce n'est pas que' expresses a rejected possibility and therefore requires the subjunctive mood.

Wrong: Ce n'est pas qu'il est méchant, mais...
Correct: Ce n'est pas qu'il soit méchant, mais...

Next Steps

Félicitations ! You have reached the summit of French linguistic study. From here, the language is no longer a set of rules to follow, but a vast ocean of possibilities for you to navigate with confidence and grace. Continue to read, speak, and live the language—the journey of mastery never truly ends.

Write a 500-word formal essay on a socio-political topic.

Listen to a high-level podcast like 'France Culture' and summarize the arguments.

Quick Practice (10)

Select the best fit.

___, nous avons pris des mesures.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dès lors
Logical consequence.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: French Advanced Connectors: 'Dès lors' & 'D'ores et déjà'

Choose the correct word.

C'est difficile, ___ impossible.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: voire
Voire is the intensifier.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: The Intensifier 'voire' (Even / Indeed)

Fill in the blank.

Après ___ lavé, il s'est habillé.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: s'être
Reflexive verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)

Fill in the blank.

Ce n'est pas que je ___ (être) contre, mais c'est que je suis prudent.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sois
Subjunctive required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nuanced Explanations: Not that... but rather... (Ce n'est pas que... mais c'est que...)

Choose the correct agreement.

Après être ___ , elle est partie.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: arrivée
Feminine subject requires agreement.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)

Correct the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Il a dit qu'il veut manger.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il a dit qu'il voulait manger.
Desire shift.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: French Modal Nuances in Reported Speech

Choose the correct auxiliary.

Après ___ parti, il a téléphoné.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: être
Partir uses être.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Past Actions with 'After' (Après avoir/être)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Il a dit qu'il devait partir.
Obligation shift.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: French Modal Nuances in Reported Speech

Identify the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Dès lors, je vais partir demain.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dès lors
Should be 'Dorénavant' for future.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: French Advanced Connectors: 'Dès lors' & 'D'ores et déjà'

Find the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ce n'est pas que je suis en retard, mais c'est que le train est en retard.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: je suis -> sois
Subjunctive is needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nuanced Explanations: Not that... but rather... (Ce n'est pas que... mais c'est que...)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

No, it's too formal.
Yes, as long as the subject is the same.
You must use 'Après que' + conjugated verb.
No, it sounds too formal and stiff. Use 'du coup' instead.
Not necessarily, it can be used with adjectives like 'prêt' or 'applicable'.
The subjunctive is used here because 'Ce n'est pas que' introduces a subjective state or a hypothesis that you are rejecting.
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