English “as well as” has several meanings. In French, the right translation depends on the sense of the sentence. Sometimes it simply joins two things. Sometimes it means “in addition to.” Sometimes it compares skill, quality, or degree.

The main French translations are:

• ainsi que
• et
• de même que
• comme
• aussi bien que
• en plus de
• outre
• avec

English “as well as” can also overlap at times with “as much as” or “to the same degree as.” In those cases, French may use autant que, which literally means “as much as.”

Ainsi que

Ainsi que is one of the closest direct matches for “as well as.” It is common in formal French and writing.

Meaning

It usually means:

• “as well as”
• “along with”
• “just as”

Examples

• Paul ainsi que Marie viendront demain. “Paul as well as Marie will come tomorrow.”
• Elle parle le Français ainsi que l’anglais. “She speaks French as well as English.”
• Nous avons acheté du pain ainsi que du fromage. “We bought bread as well as cheese.”
• Le directeur ainsi que son assistant étaient présents. “The director as well as his assistant were present.”

Tone

This form sounds more formal than simple et.

In speech, many people would just use et.

Et

Very often, English “as well as” is best translated by plain et.

French usually prefers simple joining words where English may use longer forms.

Examples

• J’ai acheté des pommes et des poires. “I bought apples as well as pears.”
• Elle chante et danse. “She sings as well as dances.”
• Marc et Sophie travaillent ici. “Marc as well as Sophie work here.”

Why French often uses et

English sometimes uses “as well as” for style or rhythm. French often avoids heavy wording and uses the simpler et.

Aussi bien que

Aussi bien que means “as well as” in the sense of “equally well.”

It compares skill, quality, or success.

Examples

• Elle parle Français aussi bien que sa sœur. “She speaks French as well as her sister.”
• Il cuisine aussi bien que sa mère. “He cooks as well as his mother.”
• Tu chantes aussi bien que lui. “You sing as well as he does.”

Common structure

• aussi bien que + noun
• aussi bien que + pronoun

Autant que

Autant que literally means “as much as” or “as many as.” It expresses equal degree, amount, or extent.

Sometimes English uses “as well as” in places where the real idea is equality. In those cases, French may use autant que.

Examples

• Il travaille autant que son frère. “He works as much as his brother.”
• Je ne le connais pas autant que toi. “I do not know him as well as you do.”
• Elle gagne autant que lui. “She earns as much as he does.”

Important point

Autant que is not normally used for additive “as well as.”

Correct:

• Paul ainsi que Marie viendra.
• Paul et Marie viendront.

Not:

• Paul autant que Marie viendra.

De même que

De même que means:

• “just as”
• “in the same way as”
• sometimes “as well as”

It is formal and common in writing.

Examples

• De même que son père, il aime la mer. “As well as his father, he loves the sea.”
• De même que les autres étudiants, elle doit passer l’examen. “As well as the other students, she must take the exam.”
• De même que nous l’avons vu hier, ce problème continue. “As we saw yesterday, this problem continues.”

Comme

Sometimes English “as well as” really means “like” or “just as.” French often uses comme.

Examples

• Comme son frère, il adore le football. “As well as his brother, he loves football.”
• Elle chante comme une professionnelle. “She sings as well as a professional.”
• Comme moi, il préfère rester chez lui. “As well as me, he prefers to stay at home.”

En plus de

En plus de means:

• “in addition to”
• “as well as”
• “besides”

It is very common in spoken French.

Examples

• En plus de son travail, il étudie le soir. “As well as his job, he studies at night.”
• Nous avons visité Paris en plus de Lyon. “We visited Paris as well as Lyon.”
• En plus du café, elle a pris un gâteau. “As well as coffee, she had a cake.”

Tone

This form is natural and common in daily speech.

Outre

Outre means:

• “besides”
• “apart from”
• “as well as”

It is formal and often found in writing.

Examples

• Outre le Français, elle parle espagnol. “As well as French, she speaks Spanish.”
• Outre son salaire, il reçoit des primes. “As well as his salary, he receives bonuses.”
• Outre les problèmes financiers, l’entreprise manque de personnel. “As well as financial problems, the company lacks staff.”

Avec

Sometimes the best French translation is simply avec.

Examples

• Paul viendra avec Marie. “Paul will come as well as Marie.”
• J’ai pris du vin avec le fromage. “I had wine as well as cheese.”

French often prefers simple forms where English uses longer linking phrases.

“As well as” with verbs

English often uses “as well as” before a verb ending in “-ing.”

French usually changes the structure completely.

English pattern

• “He likes reading as well as writing.”

Natural French

• Il aime lire et écrire. “He likes reading as well as writing.”

Not:

• Il aime lire ainsi qu’écrire.

The version with et sounds far more natural.

“As well as” at the start of a sentence

English often begins sentences with “as well as.”

French may use:

• en plus de
• outre
• avec
• ainsi que

Examples

• En plus de son travail, elle élève trois enfants. “As well as her job, she raises three children.”
• Outre ses études, il travaille dans un café. “As well as his studies, he works in a café.”
• Ainsi que ses collègues, il a signé la lettre. “As well as his colleagues, he signed the letter.”

Common learner mistakes

Using ainsi que too much

Learners often overuse ainsi que because dictionaries give it as the direct match.

In real French, simple et is often more natural.

Less natural:

• J’aime le thé ainsi que le café.

More natural:

• J’aime le thé et le café.

Translating word for word

English and French do not always build comparison phrases the same way.

English:

• “She sings as well as him.”

Natural French:

• Elle chante aussi bien que lui.

Not:

• Elle chante ainsi que lui.

Confusing addition and comparison

English “as well as” may mean:

• adding something
• comparing skill or degree

French uses different forms for these meanings.

Addition

• et
• ainsi que
• en plus de

Comparison

• aussi bien que
• autant que
• comme

Summary

English “as well as” has several French translations.

For adding things together, French often uses:

• et
• ainsi que
• en plus de
• outre

For comparisons, French often uses:

• aussi bien que
• comme

French may also use autant que when the real meaning is “as much as” or “to the same degree as.”

The simplest form is often the most natural in French. Many sentences that use “as well as” in English are best translated with plain et.