conjunction

puisque

since

Ce mot sert à donner une raison ou une cause pour expliquer quelque chose.

Definition & meaning

Puisque is a French subordinating conjunction meaning “since,” “as,” “because,” or “given that.” It introduces a reason or explanation that is presented as known, obvious, or already accepted.

Puisque tu es là, aide-moi. — “Since you are here, help me.”
Je vais partir puisque personne ne m’attend. — “I’m going to leave because nobody is expecting me.”

Compared with parce que , puisque often suggests that the reason is evident or cannot reasonably be disputed.

Grammar & Word origin

Puisque is an invariable subordinating conjunction. It introduces a subordinate clause and is normally followed by the indicative mood.

It can appear:

At the beginning of a sentence: Puisque tu es fatigué, repose-toi. — “Since you are tired, rest.”
After the main clause: Repose-toi puisque tu es fatigué. — “Rest since you are tired.”

The word developed from puis (“then,” “therefore”) and que , historically expressing an idea such as “since it is so.”

Before a vowel or a silent h, puisque becomes puisqu’:

puisqu’il — “since he/it”
puisqu’elle — “since she/it”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

parce que — “because”; the most neutral and common way to give a reason.
car — “for,” “because”; usually connects two independent clauses and is somewhat more formal or literary.
étant donné que — “given that”; formal and explicit, emphasizing an established fact.
comme — “as,” “since”; when it has a causal meaning, it generally appears at the beginning of the sentence.

Antonyms

There is no direct grammatical antonym for puisque. Depending on the intended contrast, French may use mais (“but”), pourtant (“however”), or bien que (“although”), which introduces opposition rather than a cause.