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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.

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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.

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### 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'**.

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Formal expressions of purpose (afin de)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
the institution (f)	l'institution
the grant	la subvention
academic	académique
in order to	afin de
The institution offers the academic grant in order to support the project.	L'institution offre la subvention académique afin de soutenir le projet.
the funding	le financement
to submit	soumettre
detailed	détaillé
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.
the evaluation (f)	l'évaluation
the objective (m)	l'objectif
rigorous	rigoureux
The evaluation of the scientific objective is very rigorous.	L'évaluation de l'objectif scientifique est très rigoureuse.
to approve (consent, agree with)	approuver
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.
This academic project requires a rigorous method.	Ce projet académique exige une méthode rigoureuse.
The institution requires a detailed document in order to approve the funding.	L'institution exige un document détaillé afin d'approuver le financement.
He submits this document in order to explain the scientific project.	Il soumet ce document afin d'expliquer le projet scientifique.
The researcher organizes a meeting in order to prepare the academic project.	Le chercheur organise une réunion afin de préparer le projet académique.
They evaluate this detailed file in order to approve the funding.	Ils évaluent ce dossier détaillé afin d'approuver le financement.
In order to achieve the objective, the researcher follows a rigorous method.	Afin de réaliser l'objectif, le chercheur suit une méthode rigoureuse.
the honour (m)	l'honneur
It is an honour to receive you.	C'est un honneur de vous recevoir.
His honour is very important to him.	Son honneur est très important pour lui.

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