# FR: alors que / tandis que



## Elisabeth

Can alors que and tandis que be used interchangeably or are there certain cases when one is more relevant? Thanks


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## LV4-26

Ok, take this as a first approach, Elisabeth. Other people will certainly amend it or go further into details. And let me apologize in advance if I say things that you already know.

These two conjunctions work more or less as the English "while" (but do no necessarily translate "while"). i.e. they can convey an idea of time or of opposition. 

However, while  "tandis que" can still convey one or the other idea, "alors que" seems to be more and more used only for opposition.
At least, my French dictionnary says that "alors que" is old-fashioned as a time conjunction.

1. I use both as "opposition" conjunctions
2. Despite what my dictionnary says, I also use both as time conjunctions, only I reserve "alors que" for very precise moments, for actions that do not last, that happen at a very precise point in time. (i.e. as a synonym for "au moment où").

_Il est sorti pour m'accuellir *alors que* je franchissais le portail du jardin_
_Il est sorti pour m'accueillir *tandis que* je cherchais ma carte de visite._

I hope this is clear but I can't guarantee its accuracy. Wait for the others.

So the answer to your question is, I should think, YES, as "opposition" (sorry, I can't find a more adequate word in English) conjunctions, and SOMETIMES as time conjunctions.

I've just realized I'd forgotten to give you examples with the "oppostion" meaning.

_Nos maisons sont différentes. La sienne a un garage alors que la mienne n'en a pas._
_Nos maisons sont différentes. La sienne a un garage tandis que la mienne n'en a pas._

Here, both conjunctions are interchangeable, I think.


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## charlie2

My understanding is "alors que" brings out the contrast (une opposition)and "tandis que" brings out the difference.
e.g. 
(1) Il n'est pas venu alors qu'il avait promis de venir.
The opposition is between come and not come.
(2) Cettes roses fleurissent dès le mois de mai tandis que celles-là fleurissent en fin d'été. ( I just made it up, I know nothing about roses.)
May and end of summer can hardly be called opposite, right?

_Alors que_ as a time conjunction.
I have never been taught that it is old-fashioned.
It is "while" as in English but I was taught that you use it to introduce an element of interruption.
e.g. Le téléphone a sonné, alors que je sortais.
As for _tandis que_, our teacher hinted that if we could manage "alors que", he would be very happy. Don't ask me where does that leave you.


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## LV4-26

charlie2 said:
			
		

> My understanding is "alors que" brings out the contrast (une opposition)and "tandis que" brings out the difference.
> e.g.
> (1) Il n'est pas venu alors qu'il avait promis de venir.
> The opposition is between come and not come.
> (2) Ces roses fleurissent dès le mois de mai tandis que celles-là fleurissent en fin d'été. ( I just made it up, I know nothing about roses.)
> May and end of summer can hardly be called opposite, right?


I'd not thought about it this way but you seem to be right.
In this case my "garage" example with "tandis que" doesn't work.


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## charlie2

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> 2. Despite what my dictionnary says, I also use both as time conjunctions, only I reserve "alors que" for very precise moments, for actions that do not last, that happen at a very precise point in time. (i.e. as a synonym for "au moment où").



I guess that is the element of interruption that my teacher was referring to.


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## Zabar

Does it always have to be a conjunction? What about:

'...seule la Belgique, alors que RDC pays detenteur de ce mineral, fait toujours figure de...'


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## LV4-26

Zabar said:
			
		

> Does it always have to be a conjunction? What about:
> 
> '...seule la Belgique, alors que RDC pays detenteur de ce mineral, fait toujours figure de...'


According to the WR dictionary's definition, your _alors que_ here seems to be an actual conjunction


> an uninflected function word that serves to conjoin words or phrases or clauses or sentences.


It connects the clause_ RDC, pays détenteur de ce minéral, fait toujours figure de.... _to the previous clause ending in_ ...seule la Belgique

_I'm not sure about English but in French we have to types of conjunctions :_
conjonctions de coordination_ linking words or phrases_
conjonctions de subordinations _linking clauses mainly.


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## Zabar

thanks. I should have put more context in; 'seule la Belgique' isn't the end of the last phrase, but the beginning of this one. I understand 'alors que' here to be opposition, ie 'only Belgium, as opposed to DRC holder country...'


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## LV4-26

In that case, there must be a problem somewhere with you sentence, a comma and/or a few words missing or something. _Alors que _*always* introduces a subordinate *clause.*
Could you quote the whole sentence?
My guess is that _seule la Belgique_ is the subject of a verb which comes onlly *after *the end of your quote.

By the way _as opposed to_ would be _contrairement à_


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## Zabar

'Il convient a ce nivel de souligner que, selon certains sources, seule la Belgique, alors que la RDC, pays detenteur de cette matiere fortement strategique, fait toujours figure de 'laissez pour compte' dans ce dossier'.


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## LV4-26

Sorry, it doesn't make sense to me. Let's see what my fellow natives will have to say.


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## calembourde

Can you use _alors que_ as a time conjunction when there is also an opposition? For example:

Sometimes I think there is a grammatical error when there isn't one.
_Parfois  je pense qu'il y a une faute de grammaire alors qu'il n'y en a pas_

But even in English I just used 'when', so can we simply use _quand_ or _lorsque_ here, and forget about the element of opposition?

Or perhaps the best conjunction here is actually _où_. Which ones would work, and which wouldn't?


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## LV4-26

calembourde said:


> Can you use _alors que_ as a time conjunction when there is also an opposition? For example:
> 
> Sometimes I think there is a grammatical error when there isn't one.
> _Parfois  je pense qu'il y a une faute de grammaire alors qu'il n'y en a pas  _


That would be perfectly correct indeed.



> But even in English I just used 'when', so can we simply use _quand_ or _lorsque_ here, and forget about the element of opposition?


Yes, you could. But, as you say, the element of opposition would no longer be there.
_Parfois je pense qu'il y a une faute de grammaire quand/lorsque il n'y en pas
_would, on the whole, be understood exactly the same as the previous one. You would only miss the emphasis on the opposition. 


> Or perhaps the best conjunction here is actually _où_. Which ones would work, and which wouldn't?


_Parfois je pense qu'il y a une faute de grammaire où il n'y en a pas
_Same as above. The emphasis here would be on the place.

But the best way would still be using _alors que._


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## gerardovox

Zabar said:


> 'Il convient a ce nivel de souligner que, selon certains sources, seule la Belgique, alors que la RDC, pays detenteur de cette matiere fortement strategique, fait toujours figure de 'laissez pour compte' dans ce dossier'.



en autre mots c'est 

_Seule la Belgique fait toujours figure de 'laissez pour compte' dans ce dossier *alors que *la RDC, pays detenteur de cette matiere fortement strategique (ne le fait pas)._

and then its a typical conjuction, n'est-ce pas?


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## languageguy1

Could alors que be translated as "whereas" and tandis que translated as "while"?

I believe "whereas" stresses opposition and "while" stresses difference but not opposition.

For example, in English we might say:

1) I was doing my homework whereas he was not doing his.

2) I was doing my homework while he was reading a novel.

What do you think?


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## tilt

I think _alors que _and _tandis que _are similar, and both ambiguous without context.

In the sentence _Je faisais mes devoirs alors/tandis qu'il lisait un roman_, it's impossible to know if the speaker wants to express the simultaneity of the events, or to oppose them.

I always had the feeling that _while _had the same drawback in English, but Languageguy1's post makes me wonder about it.


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## lune_bleue

LV4-26 said:


> _Il est sorti pour m'accuellir *alors que* je franchissais le portail du jardin_
> _Il est sorti pour m'accueillir *tandis que* je cherchais ma carte de visite._



bonsoir

do _alors que _and _tandis que_ have the same meaning with _bien que/quoique _(which in English can be translated by _although_) ?  maybe only where there is an opposition in the sentence....??

_alors que _and _tandis que - _are they ever followed by subjunctive (_bien que_ - is always followed by it)  ?

merci par avance.


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## GerardM

. Alors que la Belgique *est* un pays de l'Union européenne, le Japon ne l'est pas.
. Le Japon n'est pas un pays de l'Union européenne tandis que la Belgique l'*est*.
. Bien que la Suisse est *soit* en Europe, elle n'est pas dans l'Union européenne.
. Quoique la Suisse est *soit* en Europe, elle n'est pas dans l'Union européenne.

These examples show the use of the subjonctive  present or indicative present.


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