A purpose clause answers the question what for? — it states the goal, intention, or aim of the action in the main clause. I work so that my children can have a better life. He left early in order to catch the train. I'm telling you for fear that you might forget. In French, the purpose family is governed by a single elegant rule: when the two clauses share a subject, French uses an infinitive construction (pour faire X); when the subjects differ, French uses a subjunctive clause (pour que tu fasses X). This subject-matching reduction is mandatory — French resists subjunctive clauses with same-subject coreference where an infinitive will do.
The trigger logic is also clear: purpose is, by definition, an unrealized goal at the moment the main action takes place. The action being aimed at hasn't happened yet; we are merely orienting ourselves toward it. Hence the subjunctive — the mood of unrealized, projected, intended events. This page covers the seven main purpose markers, their subject-matching reductions, and the crucial de sorte que split between purpose (subjunctive) and result (indicative).
pour que / afin que — so that (subjunctive)
Pour que and afin que both mean so that / in order that. They are largely interchangeable in meaning, with afin que feeling slightly more formal and slightly more written. Both take the subjunctive, always.
Je le fais pour que tu comprennes.
I'm doing it so that you understand.
Parle plus fort pour que tout le monde t'entende.
Speak louder so that everyone can hear you.
Afin que la réunion soit productive, préparez vos questions.
So that the meeting is productive, prepare your questions. (formal)
On ferme les volets le soir afin qu'il fasse plus frais le matin.
We close the shutters in the evening so that it's cooler in the morning. (formal)
The English-French mismatch is sharp. English so that takes the indicative or a modal — so that you understand, so that you will understand. French requires the subjunctive — pour que tu comprennes, never *pour que tu comprends. This is one of the productive subjunctive triggers that English speakers must drill until automatic.
Why does French require the subjunctive here? Because purpose, by its nature, is unrealized at the moment the main action occurs. I'm doing it so that you understand — the understanding hasn't happened yet; it's the goal. The subjunctive marks that unrealized status. Once you internalize this, the rule becomes self-evident: any conjunction expressing aim or goal triggers the subjunctive in French.
pour + infinitive — same-subject reduction
When the subject of the purpose clause is the same as the subject of the main clause, French collapses pour que + subjunctive to pour + infinitive. The reduction is mandatory, not optional.
Je viens pour t'aider.
I'm coming to help you. (same subject — j'aide)
Il travaille beaucoup pour réussir.
He works hard to succeed.
On part tôt pour éviter les embouteillages.
We're leaving early to avoid traffic.
Compare these with the different-subject form, which keeps pour que + subjunctive:
Je travaille pour que mes enfants aient une bonne vie.
I work so that my children can have a good life. (different subjects)
The same applies to afin de + infinitive when subjects match:
J'écris ces notes afin de me souvenir.
I'm writing these notes in order to remember. (same subject)
On l'a invité afin de le remercier.
We invited him in order to thank him.
This subject-matching rule is one of the cleanest in French syntax. Same subject → pour / afin de + infinitive. Different subjects → pour que / afin que + subjunctive. There is no *je viens pour que je t'aide — the same-subject infinitive is the only grammatical option.
de sorte que — purpose vs result (the mood split)
De sorte que is a chameleon. It can mean so that (purpose) or so that / with the result that (result), and the mood of the verb tells you which meaning is intended:
- De sorte que + subjunctive = purpose, intentional aim
- De sorte que + indicative = result, unintended consequence
Il a parlé tout bas, de sorte que personne ne l'entende.
He spoke quietly, so that no one would hear him. (purpose — subjunctive)
Il a parlé tout bas, de sorte que personne ne l'a entendu.
He spoke quietly, with the result that no one heard him. (result — indicative)
The two sentences differ only in the verb's mood, but the meaning shifts dramatically. The first says: he spoke quietly with the intention that no one hear him (purpose, intended). The second says: he spoke quietly, and as a result no one heard him (result, factual). French speakers actively use this distinction — the mood is not decorative.
The same split applies to de manière que and de façon que:
Explique-moi de manière que je comprenne.
Explain it to me so that I understand. (purpose — subjunctive)
Il a tout expliqué de manière que tout le monde a compris.
He explained everything in such a way that everyone understood. (result — indicative)
For a deeper treatment of de sorte que in its result sense, see the result clauses page. Here, focus on the purpose use, which always takes the subjunctive.
de peur que / de crainte que — for fear that (subjunctive + ne explétif)
De peur que and de crainte que introduce a negative purpose — something you do to prevent an outcome. They take the subjunctive, and traditionally also take the ne explétif, a non-negating ne that appears for stylistic reasons.
Je l'ai prévenu de peur qu'il ne se blesse.
I warned him for fear that he might get hurt. (with ne explétif)
Il a fermé les fenêtres de crainte qu'il ne pleuve.
He closed the windows for fear it might rain.
Je n'ai rien dit de peur qu'elle ne se fâche.
I didn't say anything for fear she might get angry.
The ne here is not negating the verb. De peur qu'il ne se blesse does not mean for fear that he doesn't get hurt — it means for fear that he might get hurt. The ne is a formal stylistic marker. In casual speech it is sometimes dropped; in writing it is standard:
Je l'ai prévenu de peur qu'il se blesse.
I warned him for fear that he might get hurt. (everyday — without ne)
When subjects match, French reduces to de peur de / de crainte de + infinitive:
Il marche doucement de peur de tomber.
He walks slowly for fear of falling. (same subject — infinitive)
J'ai pris un parapluie de crainte d'être surpris par la pluie.
I took an umbrella for fear of being caught out by the rain.
The reduction is mandatory in clean French. Same subject → de peur de + infinitive. Different subjects → de peur que + subjunctive (with optional ne).
dans le but de + infinitive — with the goal of
Dans le but de is the prepositional / nominal purpose marker. It always takes an infinitive and is somewhat formal. Notice that it has no que-form: *dans le but que is not standard French.
Il est venu dans le but de l'aider.
He came with the goal of helping him.
Cette mesure a été prise dans le but de réduire la pollution.
This measure was taken with the goal of reducing pollution.
On organise une réunion dans le but de clarifier la situation.
We're organizing a meeting with the aim of clarifying the situation.
Dans le but de is at home in formal writing — administrative documents, journalism, academic prose. In conversation, pour covers the same ground more naturally.
For a different-subject equivalent of dans le but de, French uses afin que or pour que + subjunctive, since dans le but de itself only takes an infinitive.
dans l'intention de + infinitive — with the intention of
A close cousin of dans le but de, with a slightly more subjective flavor — with the intention of emphasizes the agent's mental state. Always takes an infinitive.
Il est parti dans l'intention de ne jamais revenir.
He left with the intention of never coming back.
J'ai écrit ce livre dans l'intention de partager mon expérience.
I wrote this book with the intention of sharing my experience.
Elle a accepté le poste dans l'intention de changer les choses.
She accepted the position with the intention of changing things.
The two — dans le but de and dans l'intention de — are interchangeable in most contexts; dans l'intention de leans slightly more toward the agent's psychology, dans le but de slightly more toward the objective goal. Both are formal.
histoire de + infinitive — just to (informal)
Histoire de is the informal purpose marker that conversational French uses constantly. It conveys just to, just for the purpose of, often with a casual or jokey flavor. It always takes an infinitive.
Je vais sortir, histoire de prendre l'air.
I'm going to step out, just to get some air. (informal)
On y est passé histoire de saluer.
We dropped by just to say hi. (casual)
Histoire de ne pas mourir d'ennui, on a regardé un film.
Just so we wouldn't die of boredom, we watched a movie.
This is a hallmark of natural spoken French. You will hear it in podcasts, interviews, and friendly conversation, but never in formal writing. It is one of the markers that distinguishes book French from real French.
Subject matching: a complete table
| Different subjects | Same subjects |
|---|---|
| pour que + subjonctif | pour + infinitif |
| afin que + subjonctif | afin de + infinitif |
| de peur que + subjonctif (+ ne) | de peur de + infinitif |
| de crainte que + subjonctif (+ ne) | de crainte de + infinitif |
| de sorte que + subjonctif | de sorte de is rare; use afin de |
| (no clause form) | dans le but de + infinitif |
| (no clause form) | dans l'intention de + infinitif |
| (no clause form) | histoire de + infinitif (informal) |
The pattern is so regular it can be summarized in a sentence: same subject → infinitive form; different subjects → que + subjunctive form. The few exceptions (dans le but de, dans l'intention de, histoire de) only have an infinitive form — they have no que counterpart. For different subjects, you must switch to pour que or afin que.
Register hierarchy
| Register | Same subject | Different subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Informal | pour + inf, histoire de + inf | pour que + subj |
| Neutral | pour + inf, afin de + inf | pour que + subj, afin que + subj |
| Formal | afin de + inf, dans le but de + inf, dans l'intention de + inf | afin que + subj, de sorte que + subj |
In conversation, pour covers most of what you need. Reach for afin de / afin que in writing or careful speech. Dans le but de and dans l'intention de are formal and slightly nominal. Histoire de is conversational and friendly.
Common Mistakes
❌ Pour que tu comprends, je t'explique.
Incorrect — pour que requires the subjunctive.
✅ Pour que tu comprennes, je t'explique.
So that you understand, I'm explaining.
The single most common purpose error. Pour que + indicative is wrong; the subjunctive is mandatory. English speakers under-use the subjunctive because their native language doesn't.
❌ Je viens pour que je t'aide.
Incorrect — same subject, must use the infinitive form pour + infinitif.
✅ Je viens pour t'aider.
I'm coming to help you.
Same-subject coreference forces pour + infinitive. Pour que with the same subject is ungrammatical; the infinitive reduction is mandatory in clean French.
❌ De peur qu'il tombe pas.
Incorrect — the ne in de peur que is non-negating; pas does not belong.
✅ De peur qu'il ne tombe.
For fear that he might fall. (with optional ne explétif)
✅ De peur qu'il tombe.
For fear that he might fall. (without ne)
The ne explétif in de peur que is not part of ne... pas negation. Adding pas turns the meaning upside-down (for fear he won't fall). Either include only the optional ne, or include neither.
❌ Je travaille dans le but que ma famille soit heureuse.
Incorrect — dans le but de takes only an infinitive; for a clause use afin que or pour que.
✅ Je travaille pour que ma famille soit heureuse.
I work so that my family will be happy.
✅ Je travaille afin que ma famille soit heureuse.
I work so that my family will be happy. (formal)
There is no dans le but que. Dans le but de is purely a prepositional phrase taking an infinitive. For different-subject purpose, use pour que or afin que.
❌ Il a parlé tout bas, de sorte que personne ne l'a entendu — c'était son but.
Mismatched — if it was the goal, the verb should be in the subjunctive: ne l'entende.
✅ Il a parlé tout bas, de sorte que personne ne l'entende.
He spoke quietly, so that no one would hear him. (purpose — subjunctive)
The de sorte que split is one of the few places where French speakers actively choose mood for meaning. Subjunctive marks intention; indicative marks result. Pick the mood that matches your meaning.
Key takeaways
The purpose family is governed by two clean principles. First, the subject-matching rule: same subject → infinitive (pour faire, afin de faire, de peur de faire); different subjects → que + subjunctive (pour que tu fasses, afin que tu fasses, de peur que tu ne fasses). Second, the subjunctive trigger: every purpose conjunction with que takes the subjunctive, because purpose is by definition unrealized at the moment of the main action. The only nuance is de sorte que (and its cousins de manière que, de façon que), which split into purpose (subjunctive) and result (indicative) based on the mood of the verb. Master pour and pour que first; they cover most natural French. Then add afin de / afin que for written register, dans le but de for formal nominal style, and histoire de for casual conversation.
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Start learning French→Related Topics
- Les Conjonctions: OverviewA1 — A map of French conjunctions — the small words that link clauses and phrases. Two big classes: coordinators (et, mais, ou, donc, car, or, ni) link equal partners; subordinators (que, parce que, quand, si, bien que, pour que…) introduce a dependent clause. The choice of subordinator also determines whether the verb stays in the indicative or shifts to the subjunctive.
- Conjonctions de ConséquenceB1 — How French expresses result — the so...that, so much that, to the point that constructions. Result clauses describe an effect that follows from the main clause, and unlike purpose clauses (which describe an unrealized goal), they take the indicative because the result is presented as an established fact. This page covers si...que, tellement...que, à tel point que, de sorte que, si bien que, and au point que, and untangles the critical purpose-vs-result split that determines whether de sorte que takes the subjunctive or the indicative.
- Subjunctive after Purpose Conjunctions: pour que, afin que, de sorte queB1 — When you do something so that someone else can do something, French strings the two events together with pour que, afin que, or de sorte que — and the verb after the conjunction goes into the subjunctive.
- Cause et Conséquence: marqueursB1 — How French connects cause to consequence — parce que, comme, puisque, car for cause, plus donc, alors, par conséquent, du coup for consequence. Each marker carries its own register and discourse logic.
- Prepositions of Cause and PurposeB1 — French distinguishes positive cause (grâce à) from negative cause (à cause de), and offers a layered hierarchy of purpose prepositions from everyday pour to formal afin de and en vue de. This page maps the whole field.