When you explain why something happened or what for something is done, French splits the field where English uses a single word. Because of is positive in some contexts, negative in others — and French has different prepositions for each. In order to and for both translate purposes, but French separates them by formality and grammatical complement (noun? infinitive? subordinate clause?). The result is a small but expressive system that lets you signal blame, gratitude, intention, and aim with surgical precision.
This page covers two related fields: cause (why something happened — looking backwards) and purpose (what something is for — looking forwards). Both rely on prepositions that take a noun or infinitive complement. When you need a full clause with a conjugated verb instead, see the page on preposition vs conjunction.
Cause: looking backwards
Six prepositions cover the cause field, sorted by register and by whether the cause is positive, negative, or neutral.
À cause de: negative or neutral cause
À cause de is the everyday word for because of, but with an important nuance: it leans negative or neutral, never positive. You use it to attribute a problem, a delay, an unfortunate outcome.
Le train est arrivé en retard à cause de la neige.
The train arrived late because of the snow.
On n'a pas pu sortir à cause du bruit.
We couldn't go out because of the noise.
Elle est triste à cause de cette histoire.
She's sad because of this whole business.
Native speakers will flinch at ❌ Je suis content à cause de toi (meant as I'm happy because of you). The right word for that is grâce à. The flinch is automatic — à cause de carries a faint scent of blame.
Note the contraction: à cause de + le → à cause du; + les → à cause des.
Grâce à: positive cause
Grâce à (literally thanks to) is the positive counterpart. You use it when the cause produced something good, helpful, or successful.
Grâce à toi, j'ai compris.
Thanks to you, I understood.
Elle a réussi grâce à beaucoup de travail.
She succeeded thanks to a lot of hard work.
Grâce aux nouvelles technologies, on travaille de partout.
Thanks to new technology, we work from anywhere.
The reverse mismatch is also wrong: ❌ Grâce à la pluie, le pique-nique est annulé. The cancellation is bad news — you need à cause de.
The contractions: grâce à + le → grâce au; + les → grâce aux.
En raison de: due to (formal, neutral)
En raison de is the neutral, formal due to. It carries no positive or negative charge — it's purely factual. You see it constantly in news, official notices, and academic writing.
En raison du mauvais temps, le vol est annulé.
Due to bad weather, the flight is cancelled.
Le musée est fermé en raison de travaux.
The museum is closed due to construction work.
En raison de sa carrière, il a beaucoup voyagé.
Due to his career, he travelled a lot.
This is the prep you reach for when you want to sound official without sounding judgmental. (formal)
Du fait de: due to, owing to (formal, slightly emphatic)
Du fait de is similar in register to en raison de, but it puts more weight on the cause as a fact — because of the fact that.... Common in journalism and analysis.
Du fait du virus, l'économie a ralenti.
Owing to the virus, the economy slowed.
Du fait de son âge, il a obtenu une réduction.
On account of his age, he got a discount.
(formal)
Pour cause de: closed for, suspended for
Pour cause de is fixed — you'll see it almost exclusively on signs, notices, and formal announcements explaining why something is closed or suspended.
Fermé pour cause de maladie.
Closed due to illness.
Annulé pour cause de mauvais temps.
Cancelled due to bad weather.
(formal, fixed)
Vu / Étant donné: given, in view of
These two participles function as prepositions and introduce a recognized cause. Vu is shorter and slightly more colloquial; étant donné is more formal.
Vu la situation, on préfère rester à la maison.
Given the situation, we'd rather stay home.
Étant donné le retard, on annule la réunion.
Given the delay, we're cancelling the meeting.
When vu introduces a clause rather than a noun, it becomes vu que: Vu qu'il pleut, on reste à la maison.
Purpose: looking forwards
Where cause looks back at why something happened, purpose looks forward to what something is for. French has a layered set of prepositions ranging from everyday pour to formal en vue de, and they split by what kind of complement they take.
Pour + infinitive: in order to (default)
Pour + infinitive is the unmarked, all-purpose way to express purpose with a verb. The subject of pour is the same as the main clause subject.
Je travaille dur pour réussir.
I work hard in order to succeed.
Elle s'est levée tôt pour attraper le train.
She got up early to catch the train.
Pour bien parler français, il faut écouter beaucoup.
To speak French well, you need to listen a lot.
When the subject of the purpose differs from the main subject, you switch to pour que + subjunctive — covered on the preposition vs conjunction page.
Pour + noun: for (recipient or purpose)
Pour + noun expresses what something is for, who it's for, or its purpose.
Ce cadeau est pour toi.
This gift is for you.
Il fait du sport pour la santé.
He works out for his health.
On a acheté un nouvel ordinateur pour le bureau.
We bought a new computer for the office.
Afin de + infinitive / Afin que + subjunctive: in order to (formal)
Afin de / afin que is the formal counterpart of pour / pour que. The meaning is identical; the register is elevated. You see afin de in essays, official communications, and elevated speech.
Afin de mieux comprendre, lisez l'introduction.
In order to understand better, read the introduction.
Nous écrivons afin de vous informer de la décision.
We are writing in order to inform you of the decision.
Afin que tout soit clair, je répète les consignes.
So that everything is clear, I'm repeating the instructions.
(formal)
Dans le but de + infinitive: with the goal of
Dans le but de makes the goal explicit — it's slightly bureaucratic and very common in formal writing.
Le projet a été lancé dans le but d'aider les jeunes.
The project was launched with the goal of helping young people.
Elle est partie à Paris dans le but de devenir actrice.
She went to Paris with the goal of becoming an actress.
(formal)
A close cousin is dans l'intention de (with the intention of), which emphasizes the agent's deliberate purpose: Il a écrit cette lettre dans l'intention de blesser.
En vue de + noun / infinitive: with a view to
En vue de leans even more formal and looks at a planned future outcome — with a view to.
Le gouvernement prépare une loi en vue d'une réforme.
The government is preparing a law with a view to reform.
Ils s'entraînent en vue des championnats.
They're training in preparation for the championships.
Elle a pris des cours en vue de passer l'examen.
She took classes with a view to taking the exam.
(formal)
De manière à / De façon à + infinitive: so as to
De manière à and de façon à both mean so as to — the purpose plus a faint sense of and thereby. They're slightly formal but not stiff, and very common in writing and careful speech.
Range tes affaires de manière à ce qu'on retrouve tout.
Put your things away so that we can find everything.
Il a parlé doucement de façon à ne pas réveiller les enfants.
He spoke softly so as not to wake the children.
Organisons la salle de manière à éviter les embouteillages.
Let's organise the room so as to avoid bottlenecks.
When the subject changes, both forms add que + subjunctive: de manière à ce que tout soit prêt, de façon à ce qu'on puisse partir.
Cause vs purpose: a quick decision tree
The trick to keeping these straight is to ask: am I looking backwards at why something happened, or forwards at what something is for?
| Question | Field | Common prepositions |
|---|---|---|
| Why did this happen? (positive outcome) | Cause | grâce à |
| Why did this happen? (negative outcome) | Cause | à cause de |
| Why did this happen? (neutral, formal) | Cause | en raison de, du fait de |
| What is this for? (intent) | Purpose | pour |
| What is this for? (formal) | Purpose | afin de, dans le but de, en vue de |
For an even fuller treatment of how cause and purpose play out across whole clauses (not just prepositional phrases), see the cause-and-consequence and purpose-and-aim pages in the Complex Sentences group.
Common Mistakes
❌ Grâce à la pluie, on n'a pas pu pique-niquer.
Incorrect — the cancellation is negative; grâce à only fits positive outcomes.
✅ À cause de la pluie, on n'a pas pu pique-niquer.
Because of the rain, we couldn't picnic.
Grâce à implies the cause helped you. If the cause hurt you, you need à cause de.
❌ J'étudie pour je réussisse l'examen.
Incorrect — pour + verb requires the infinitive when subjects match.
✅ J'étudie pour réussir l'examen.
I'm studying to pass the exam.
When the subject of pour matches the main subject, you use the infinitive directly — never pour + a finite clause.
❌ Afin de tu comprennes, je vais répéter.
Incorrect — afin de takes only an infinitive (same subject).
✅ Afin que tu comprennes, je vais répéter.
So that you understand, I'm going to repeat.
When subjects differ, afin de becomes afin que + subjunctive. Same logic as pour / pour que.
❌ En cause de la grève, le bureau est fermé.
Incorrect — there is no en cause de; the form is en raison de or à cause de.
✅ En raison de la grève, le bureau est fermé.
Due to the strike, the office is closed.
En raison de is the formal neutral; à cause de the everyday negative. En cause de doesn't exist.
❌ Il travaille pour de l'argent. (meaning: in order to make money)
Incorrect — pour + de + noun is wrong here; use pour + infinitive.
✅ Il travaille pour gagner de l'argent.
He works to earn money.
If the purpose is an action, you need pour + infinitive, not pour de + abstract noun. Il travaille pour de l'argent could be heard as he works for money (motive), but pour gagner de l'argent is unambiguous.
Key Takeaways
- Grâce à (positive) and à cause de (negative) split the everyday cause field along moral/evaluative lines.
- En raison de and du fait de are the formal neutrals — heavy in news and notices.
- For purpose, pour is the default; afin de, dans le but de, en vue de climb the formality ladder.
- All these prepositions take a noun or infinitive; switch to the que form (pour que, afin que) plus subjunctive when the subjects differ.
- The single most common slip: using grâce à for a negative outcome (or à cause de for a positive one).
Now practice French
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning French→Related Topics
- Pour, Par: distinguishedA2 — Pour and par cover purpose, recipient, agent, means, and manner — the territory English carves up between for, in order to, by, through, and per. The two French prepositions are not interchangeable, and the choice between them is one of the most consequential decisions in everyday French.
- Preposition vs Conjunction: avant de / avant que and friendsB1 — Many French connectors come in two forms: a preposition (+ infinitive or noun) when subjects match, and a conjunction (+ que + clause, often subjunctive) when subjects differ. Mastering this swap is one of the highest-leverage moves in B1 French.
- 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.
- But et Finalité: pour, afin de, pour que, de peur queB1 — How French expresses purpose — pour, afin de, pour que + subj, dans le but de, de manière à, de peur de, en vue de — and the central same-subject vs different-subject distinction that drives the choice between infinitive and subjunctive.
- French Prepositions: OverviewA1 — A systematic survey of the French preposition system — place, time, manner, cause, and purpose — plus the obligatory contractions au, aux, du, des.
- 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.