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Nous avons caché le gâteau afin de ne pas éveiller les soupçons.

Nous avons caché le gâteau afin de ne pas éveiller les soupçons.
We hid the cake in order not to arouse suspicion.
From Lesson 427:Minimal condition conjunction (pour peu que)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous avons caché le gâteau afin de ne pas éveiller les soupçons.

Why do we use afin de here instead of afin que, which we know triggers the subjunctive?
You use afin de followed by an infinitive (éveiller) when the subject is the same for both actions. "We" hid the cake, and "we" are the ones trying not to arouse suspicion. If the subjects were different (e.g., "We hid the cake so that he wouldn't arouse suspicion"), you would use afin que followed by the subjunctive.
Why are ne and pas grouped together right before éveiller?
When negating an infinitive verb (an unconjugated verb like éveiller), both parts of the negation stay together. Unlike conjugated verbs where ne and pas sandwich the verb, they must sit side-by-side directly in front of the infinitive.
The English translation says "suspicion" (singular). Why does French use the plural les soupçons?
The set expression in French is almost always plural: éveiller les soupçons. French tends to use the plural here to represent the multiple thoughts of doubt people might have, whereas English usually treats "suspicion" as a single abstract concept in this phrase.
Could I use pour instead of afin de in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely. Pour ne pas éveiller les soupçons means exactly the same thing. Afin de (in order to) is simply a slightly more formal alternative to pour (to/for).

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