Я купил сувенир, чтобы вспомнить свою поездку.

I bought a souvenir to remember my trip.

Breakdown of Я купил сувенир, чтобы вспомнить свою поездку.

• я: I
• купить: to buy
• поездка: the trip
• чтобы: in order to
• свой: my
• сувенир: the souvenir
• вспомнить: to remember

Questions & Answers about Я купил сувенир, чтобы вспомнить свою поездку.

What is the function of чтобы in this sentence?

Чтобы introduces a purpose clause. It indicates the intention behind the action—in this case, that the souvenir was purchased in order to help remember the trip. The clause that follows (вспомнить свою поездку) explains the purpose of buying the souvenir.

Why is there a comma before чтобы?

In Russian, subordinate clauses (including purpose clauses introduced by чтобы) are set off by a comma. The comma separates the main clause (Я купил сувенир) from the subordinate clause that explains the reason or purpose of that action.

Why is свою used instead of another possessive like мою?

The reflexive possessive adjective свой (here in its feminine form, свою) is used to indicate that the noun it modifies (in this case, поездку) belongs to the subject of the sentence (Я). Using свой automatically refers back to the subject, making it a natural and common choice instead of мою.

Why is the verb вспомнить in its infinitive form?

When expressing purpose with чтобы, Russian uses the infinitive form of the verb following this particle. So вспомнить remains in the infinitive to indicate the intended action (to remember) that explains why the souvenir was purchased.

Can this structure be used in other contexts to express purpose?

Yes, the чтобы + [infinitive] construction is a common way in Russian to explain the purpose or intention behind an action. For example, Я учусь русскому, чтобы понимать фильмы means "I study Russian in order to understand movies." This structure is versatile and widely used to express why something is done.