As you become more and more familiar with the French language, there are words and expressions that you need to remember because they’re essential in this language. Afin que is crucial to know because it helps people express the purpose and result in their sentences. But, how would you use it in a sentence?
What does afin que mean?
Afin que is a conjunction that can be translated to “so that” or to “in order that“. It’s used to introduce a purpose or a result clause in your sentence.
Je travaille dur afin que je puisse acheter une maison.
I work hard so that I can buy a house.
In this sentence, the result clause is “je puisse acheter une maison” (I can buy a house) and this is introduced by afin que.
Il fait du sport tous les jours afin que son corps reste en forme.
He works out every day in order that his body stays in shape.
The result clause in this sentence is “son corps reste en forme” (his body stays in shape).
How to use it correctly?
You use afin que when the subject of the sentence is different from the one used by the main verb, and then you follow this saying with a subjunctive.
You can use this to form a sentence with this expression: afin que + subjunctive.
Soyez à l’heure afin que nous puissions étudier le dossier.
Be on time so that we can study the file.
Ceci est nécessaire afin que vous puissiez augmenter votre force.
This is necessary so that you can increase your force.
Essayez de communiquer par écrit afin que tous vos accords soient écrits.
Try to communicate in writing so that all your agreements are in writing.
You can express the results of actions with ease now
This is a very useful tool whether you’re just starting to learn or you’re brushing up on your French so you can improve your fluency and talk like a native speaker. And now that you know how and when to use the vital conjunction afin que to express a result or a purpose we hope that you feel comfortable as you practice it with your friends and family.
Learn more about Mastering quoique: How to use this French conjunction