alors
/a.lɔʁ/
In French, the word for 'so' is alors.
alors is used to introduce a logical result or to transition to a new topic in a conversation. In spoken French, you may also encounter du coup, which is a frequently used informal expression that corresponds to 'so' and is often used to explain the consequence of an action or event.
Which one should you use?
While alors is used for transitions and maintaining conversational flow, donc is used more strictly to express a logical consequence or 'therefore'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding que to alors to create alors que changes the meaning from a conversational transition to a conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas'.
How do you pronounce it?
/a.lɔʁ/
When do people say it?
The phrase Et alors ? is a common colloquial way to express a dismissive 'So what?' or 'And then what?'
Did you know?
- The word alors is actually a contraction of two words: 'à' meaning 'at' and 'lors' meaning 'time'.
- Depending on the intonation, Alors ! used as a standalone exclamation can be a command for someone to hurry up or a way to express shock.
- In French, the expression Et alors ? is often accompanied by a shrug or a specific facial expression to signal a challenge or a dismissive 'So what?'
Examples in context
- Oui, et alors ?Yeah, so what?This example shows how to use alors in a dismissive 'So what?' context.Tatoeba #1223678 by sacredceltic, translation #5228998 by jaxhere
- Et puis alors ?So fuckin' what.This example uses alors to express a more vulgar version of 'So what?'Tatoeba #8624808 by sacredceltic, translation #41067 by Swift
- Alors, tu l'aimes ?So, do you like it?This example demonstrates using alors to transition into a question.Tatoeba #5412385 by pititnatole, translation #5275246 by CK
- Je suis fatigué, donc je vais me coucherI am tired, so I'm going to bed
- Il a beaucoup travaillé, alors il a réussi son examenHe worked hard, so he passed his exam
- Le marché a connu une forte baisse, par conséquent, les investisseurs sont inquietsThe market experienced a sharp decline, therefore, investors are worried
- Il est arrivé en retard, alors on a commencé sans luiHe arrived late, so we started without him
- J'ai oublié d'acheter du pain, donc on n'a rien à mangerI forgot to buy bread, so we have nothing to eat
- Il a oublié ses clés, du coup, il est rentré chez lui à piedHe forgot his keys, so he walked back home
- 418 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are deciding what to do for lunch.
- EmmaAlors, on déjeune ensemble ?So, are we having lunch together?
- GabrielOui, c'est une bonne idée.Yes, that is a good idea.
- EmmaTu veux manger italien ?Do you want to eat Italian?
- GabrielD'accord, allons-y.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry alors, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
