Language/French/Grammar/ensuite-VS-puis

"ensuite" VS "puis" in French

Rule

"ensuite" and "puis" both mean 'afterwards, then'.

However, "ensuite" is a time adverb which can occur in the middle of a clause (for the position of adverbs), while "puis" is a coordinating conjunction which can occur only at the beginning of a clause.

Therefore "ensuite" and "puis" are not always interchangeable.

In grammatical terms, "ensuite" is an adverb whereas "puis" is a conjunction. As a conjunction, "puis" joins sentences together. That means it cannot simply be added at the end of a sentence, which "ensuite" can.

"puis" is also often used for more logical (i.e. not strictly temporal) sequences.

See the examples below:

Examples

• Il a payé l'addition, et il est ensuite parti

He paid the bill, and afterwards left

• Qu’est-ce qu’il a fait ensuite ? works, NOT Qu’est-ce qu’il a fait puis ?

What did he do next?

• Il a payé l'addition, puis il est parti

He paid the bill, then he left

• Il y a beaucoup de musées à Paris, puis il y a les parcs

There are a lot of museums in Paris, then there are the parks