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I know they all mean so,then...but when do i know how to use each one?

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c'est si bon =it is so good

et ainsi il a disparu = and  so (thus) he disappeared

Il ne savait pas quoi faire -donc il n'a rien fait =he  didn't know what to do -so ( therefor) he did nothing

 

I am not sure about "alors"   but maybe "et alors il a fini par  se facher" = and so he ended up losing his temper.

 

"Si" and " Alors"  and "ainsi"  are very common words and can have different meanings as well  in different contexts  but I think "Donc"  normally just means "therefor" or "so"

 

 

The first of these means "so" in the sense of "to such an extent". So it doesn't really belong in the group.

But the other three are pretty much interchangeable with the meaning of "so", "therefore", "for this reason".

Inasmuch as there's any difference at all in everyday use, then maybe:

"ainsi" indicates something closer to "thus", "with conditions being such": it indicates an action as a result of some general/vague circumstances

"donc" indicates a more direct relationship between one specific action and another

"alors" indicates a relationship between an action/condition and another action (maybe it's closer to "(so) then" in English)

But as I say... there's not necessarily so much in it and it's partly down to personal preference.

Does alors have a secondary meaning as while?

J'ai acheté des carottes alors que j'étais dans le supermarché.

I wonder if if should be used for "while not" rather than for "while" ?

"whilst not strictly forbiddden it is better to avoid drinking at this establishment" "alors qu'il ne soit(  or n'est?) pas tout a fait  interdit  il est preferable de ne pas boire de l'alcool dans cet etablissement"

I think I might just use "quand" , "tandis que or "le temps que" " for "while" in the sense of  a simple "when"

"alors que" can have either meaning -- it can have the literal temporal meaning that Stu mentions, or also the "contrastive" meaning that you mention. In that respect, it's very similar to English "while" (and "whilst" in British English).

No need for the subjunctive, BTW.

Can pendant also mean while, when constructed as pendant que? We think of it as during (Pendant la guerre...) but how about "L'établissement sera fermé pendant que nous sommes en état de reconstruction"?

If you change "sommes" to "serons", then yes -- in general, yes you can use pendant with a clause.

But in this case, it does seem a bit long-winded -- I wonder if speakers would find it more natural to say e.g. "...pendant les travaux de reconstruction".

Remember that in general, it's often a bit more common and natural to use a noun phrase after a preposition in French where English would use a verb phrase. For example:

English: before/after she died

French: avant/après sa mort

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