à grâce à /à cause de/pour mon travail

[Schiffers]

Dear All,

I am not sure which is the most appropriate explanation for living in a particular place because of your job:

J'habite à Londres à grâce à mon travail

J'habite à Londres à cause de mon travail

J'habite à Londres pour mon travail

I have looked into this and it seems that "à grâce à" is used to mean a positive move, i.e. thanks to my work. And "à cause de" is often used in the more negative sense (the example I have found being "Je suis tombé malade à cause de la pluie").

I have not found anything which indicates whether using 'pour mon' is correct or not.

Any feedback on this, gratefully received.

 

[Punky Zoé]

Hi Schiffers and welcome to the forum!

"Pour mon travail" is correct too, just a bit colloquial and neutral, nothing negative, nothing positive in it.

 

[Schiffers]

Thanks Punky Zoé,

So if I was trying to convey a positive message about the move then "J'habite à Londres à grâce à mon travail" is the best option?

 

[tannen2004]

"J'habite à Londres à grâce à mon travail"

One too many "à" there.

Your sentences in French as in English all mean different things.

J'habite à Londres grâce à mon travail. = I live in London thanks to my job.
J'habite à Londres à cause de mon travail. = I live in London because of my job.
J'habite à Londres pour mon travail. = I live in London for my job.

If you want to express that you think that living in London is a positive thing, then the first option is just fine. There's also a slight nuance, as in English, that your job not only requires you to live in London but also that it permits you to do so (e.g., the pay is enough to live on in London, etc.).