puisque

French

Etymology

Univerbation of puis +‎ que. Compare Italian poiché.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɥisk/

• Audio:

  (file)

Conjunction

puisque

1. since, because

   Puisqu’il ne sera pas de retour avant cinq heures, je propose que nous commencions sans lui.

   Since he will not be back before 5 o’clock, I suggest we begin without him.

   • 2018, Zaz, Qué vendrá:

     Puisque nous sommes ici sans savoir ce qui nous attend un peu plus tard, laisser parler mon instinct me guérit.

     Since we're here without knowing what awaits us a little bit later, letting my instinct[s] speak heals me.

Usage notes

• Puisque is elided to puisqu' before a vowel.
• Verbs subordinate to puisque do not traditionally take the subjunctive, but such usage is sometimes encountered in the speech of native Francophones.

Further reading

• “puisque”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012