The expressions "à cause de" and "grâce à" are used to introduce the cause of an event or situation, but they differ in the connotation they carry. "À cause de" is generally used in a negative context to indicate the reason for a problem or an unfortunate situation, while "grâce à" has a positive connotation and is used to highlight the cause of a benefit or an advantage.
À cause de
The expression "à cause de" introduces an element that is the direct cause of a negative or undesirable consequence.
- Il a raté son train à cause de la grève. (He missed his train because of the strike.)
- Nous sommes arrivés en retard à cause de la pluie. (We arrived late because of the rain.)
- La réunion a été annulée à cause de l'absence du chef. (The meeting was canceled because of the boss's absence.)
Grâce à
"Grâce à" highlights a positive factor that contributed to a favorable or beneficial result.
- Il a réussi son examen grâce à ses révisions. (He passed his exam thanks to his revision.)
- Nous avons passé de bonnes vacances grâce au beau temps. (We had a great holiday thanks to the good weather.)
- Grâce à son aide, le projet a été un succès. (Thanks to his help, the project was a success.)
Note that both expressions are followed by a noun or a pronoun.
- à cause du mauvais temps, grâce à la paix (because of the bad weather, thanks to peace)
- à cause de toi, grâce à lui (because of you, thanks to him)
Exercises on the same or a similar theme.
There are 3 exercises related to this sheet. Log in to your account to access them.