Learn French: Afin de réaliser l'objectif, le chercheur suit une méthode rigoureuse. - In order to achieve the objective, the researcher follows a rigorous method.

Afin de réaliser l'objectif, le chercheur suit une méthode rigoureuse.

In order to achieve the objective, the researcher follows a rigorous method.

Breakdown of Afin de réaliser l'objectif, le chercheur suit une méthode rigoureuse.

Questions & Answers about Afin de réaliser l'objectif, le chercheur suit une méthode rigoureuse.

What is the difference between using afin de and just using pour here?

Both mean 'in order to', but afin de is more formal and elegant. You will often see afin de in professional writing, academic contexts like this one, or the news. You could absolutely use pour in everyday conversation.

Doesn't réaliser mean 'to realize' in the sense of becoming aware of something?

It can, but its primary meaning in French is 'to achieve', 'to carry out', or 'to make real'. Here, réaliser l'objectif means 'to achieve the objective'. If you want to say 'to realize' as in 'to suddenly understand a fact', French often uses the expression se rendre compte.

Is suit related to the verb être (to be) since 'I am' is je suis?

No, suit comes from the irregular verb suivre, which means 'to follow'. It just happens that the 'je' form of suivre is je suis (I follow), which looks exactly like je suis (I am). In this sentence, the subject is le chercheur (he), so the conjugation is il suit (he follows).

Why does rigoureuse end in -euse?

Because it describes une méthode, which is a feminine noun. The masculine form of this adjective is rigoureux. In French, most adjectives ending in -eux in the masculine change to -euse in the feminine.