Five confusing word pairs in French

Arrêtez de faire des erreurs avec ces petits mots

One way to tell that your French is progressing is when you start understanding different shades of meaning.

Today, we’ll look at five word pairs that cause a lot of confusion in French learners.

1. S’en aller vs. aller

2. D’ailleurs vs. ailleurs vs. par ailleurs

3. Matériel vs. matériau

4. Parce que vs. à cause de

5. Se réveiller vs. se lever vs. se coucher

S’en aller vs. Aller

I often get the question: what does s’en aller mean, and is there a difference with just saying aller.

• Aller means to go.

• S’en aller means to go from somewhere, or to leave (partir). With s’en aller, there is either the meaning of leaving, or a sense of movement.

It’s common to say, je m’en vais en France l’année prochaine.

It would certainly be possible to say: je vais en France l’année prochaine.

By saying je m’en vais en France,  the meaning is closer to: “I’m leaving for France.”

Let’s take a look at some examples with s’en aller

• Je dois m’en aller

  I have to leave

• Je ne veux pas que tu t’en ailles tout de suite!
  I don’t want you to leave right away!

• Va t’en!
  Go away!

• Les nuages vont s’en aller et le soleil va revenir

  The clouds will go away and the sun will come back

• « Toi qui t’en vas »

  You, who leaves

Here are some examples with only aller

• Il faut que j’y aille

  I've got to go

• Je ne sais pas où je vais aller

  I don't know where I'm going (will go)

• “Où tu vas quand tu dors en marchant?”

  Where you go when you are sleep walking?

👉 Je dois y aller and je dois m’en aller mean almost the same thing. But s’en aller gives a stronger sense of “leaving.”

D’ailleurs vs. ailleurs vs. par ailleurs

These words and expressions are often confusing.

Ailleurs just means elsewhere or somewhere else.

• J’ai envie d’aller ailleurs

  I feel like going somewhere else

The confusion comes with d’ailleurs and par ailleurs.

1. D’ailleurs means in fact or as a matter of fact, or by the way, and is viewed as a concession (you admit that new information is true.)

2. Par ailleurs is used in formal French to add new information, meaning something close in addition and adds new, unknown information. That is why it can translate easily to also.

Here are some examples

• D’ailleurs, je crois qu’on devrait passer plus de temps en famille

  In fact, I think we should spend more time together as a family

• Est-ce qu’il faut que j’aille ailleurs?

  Do I have to go somewhere else?

• On n’arrive pas à arrêter la technologie, comme le progrès, d’ailleurs

  Technology can't be stopped, and neither can progress, as a matter of fact

• Voici d'ailleurs les activités que l'on présentera toute la journée au musée

  By the way, these are the activities we'll be presenting all day at the museum

• Par ailleurs, le stress vécu par les parents les rendrait moins disposés à répondre aux besoins de leurs enfants

  In addition, the stress experienced by parents makes them less willing to meet their children's needs

• Le premier ministre canadien Justin Trudeau a par ailleurs annoncé que la ville de Montréal accueillera

  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also announced that Montreal will host the event

• Il voit peu son frère, qui d’ailleurs ne s’en plaint pas

  He doesn't see much of his brother, and he's not complaining

• Il était médecin et par ailleurs pianiste

  He was a doctor and also a pianist

Matériel vs. Matériaux

Photo by Jeriden Villegas on Unsplash

How would you translate the following?

1. I’m looking for new material to learn French.

2. “The idea was to highlight the environmental impact of the most used construction materials”

Material in French can translate in two words

1. Le matériel (plural: matériels), which can mean supply, medical equipment or some type of learning material.

2. Le matériau (plural: matériaux), means building material (but can also mean all the data and information that make up the substance of a document, research or text.)

So, you would typically say:

1. Je cherche du nouveau matériel en français

   I’m looking for new material in French

2. L’idée était de mettre en valeur l’impact environmental des matériaux de construction les plus utilisés

   “The idea was to highlight the environmental impact of the most used construction materials”

Parce que vs. à cause de

To explain the cause of something, parce que and à cause de are used.

Parce que is also used to answer the question pourquoi.

1. Parce que is used before a verb

2. À cause de is used before a noun

Study the following examples

• J’ai faim parce que je n’ai pas mangé

  I’m hungry because I haven’t eaten

• Je vais être en retard à cause de mon rendez-vous

  I will be late because I have a meeting (because of my meeting)

• Pourquoi est-ce que tu n’es pas venu travailler? Parce que je n’en avais pas envie

  Why didn't you come to work? Because I didn’t want to

• Parce que j’ai réparé la machine, nous pouvons travailler aujourd’hui

  Because I fixed the machine, we can work today.

Se réveiller / se lever / se coucher

This often comes up in conversation, so don’t make mistakes with it!

• To wake up is se réveiller

• To get up is se lever

• To fall asleep is s’endormir

• To go to bed is aller se coucher

• Going back to sleep up is se rendormir

Consider these examples

• Je me lève vers 7 heures

  I get up around 7

• Quand je me réveille durant la nuit, j’ai de la difficulté à me rendormir

  When I wake up during the night, I have trouble going back to sleep

• Je me couche après minuit (ou : minuit passé)

  I go to bed/sleep past midnight

• Je me couche à dix heures, mais je m’endors seulement vers 11 heures

  I go to bed at ten o'clock, but I don't fall asleep until about eleven

• Je viens de me lever

  I just woke up (meaning: got up)

---

Exercice

Translate the following sentences in French, paying attention the the word(s) in italics.

1. He won't be able to have surgery because of his allergies.

2. I don't want to leave because I love my life here in Montreal.

3. The marathon was cancelled because of the heat wave.

4. Here or elsewhere, it's the same thing. We bring our problems with us!

5. The city of Vienna in Austria is (by the way) one of the few capitals in Europe. without a major housing crisis. (Use d’ailleurs or par ailleurs)

6. They are also committed to doing more for disadvantaged communities. (Use d’ailleurs or par ailleurs)

7. I go to bed at different times every day.

8. I get up early, but only on weekdays.

9. You woke me up!

10. The price of school supplies has gone up.

11. Granite is a natural material for your kitchen countertop.

12. I have to go soon.

13. I'm off!

Answers

1. Il ne