When writing academic proposals or applying for funding, your tone must be professional and precise. In French, stating your goals takes a step up in formality with the expression afin de.
Expressing Purpose with "Afin de"
You may already be familiar with using pour to mean "in order to." For a more elevated, formal register—perfect for academic or institutional contexts—French uses afin de. It translates exactly to "in order to" or "so as to," and just like pour, it is followed directly by an infinitive.
| The institution offers the academic grant in order to support the project. | L'institution offre la subvention académique afin de soutenir le projet. |
You can place the expression in the middle of a sentence to connect an action to its goal, or at the very beginning to establish the objective upfront.
| In order to request the funding, the researcher must submit a detailed file. | Afin de demander le financement, le chercheur doit soumettre un dossier détaillé. |
Vowel Contractions
Because the expression ends with the preposition de, standard rules of elision apply. Before a vowel or mute h, it becomes afin d'.
| The institution must read the report in order to approve the grant. | L'institution doit lire le rapport afin d'approuver la subvention. |
| We submit the study to them in order to obtain an evaluation. | Nous leur soumettons l'étude afin d'obtenir une évaluation. |
