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Em suma, trabalhamos muito a fim de criar um plano viável.

Em suma, trabalhamos muito a fim de criar um plano viável.
In short, we work a lot in order to create a viable plan.
From Lesson 394:Formal purpose structures (a fim de, a fim de que)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Em suma, trabalhamos muito a fim de criar um plano viável.

Why is a fim de used here instead of a fim de que?
We use a fim de followed by an infinitive verb (criar) because the subject of both actions is the same (we work, we create). If the person doing the working was different from the person doing the creating, you would need to use a fim de que followed by the subjunctive.
Does a fim de mean the same thing as para?
Yes, in this context they both mean 'in order to'. However, a fim de is noticeably more formal. You are more likely to hear it in professional environments, news broadcasts, or formal writing, which fits perfectly with the vocabulary of creating a plano viável.
Since the subject is 'we', could we use the personal infinitive and say a fim de criarmos?
Yes, you could! When the subject is the same in both clauses, you have the option to use either the impersonal infinitive (criar) or the personal infinitive (criarmos). Using criar is very common and completely natural here since the 'we' subject is already obvious from trabalhamos.
Could this sentence be translated as 'we worked' in the past tense?
Not in European Portuguese! While the spelling is the same in Brazil, Portugal distinguishes between the two. The present tense is trabalhamos, but the past tense takes an accent on the A: trabalhámos. Because there is no accent in this sentence, it can only mean 'we work' in the present.
Is em suma just another way to say em resumo?
Exactly. Both mean 'in short' or 'to sum up'. Em suma tends to sound a little bit more elevated or formal, which pairs nicely with the formal tone of a fim de when drawing a final conclusion at the end of a professional discussion.

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