French word

afin

Pronunciation

IPA/afɛ̃/

Meaning

  • conjunctionin order to

Example

Il épargne afin d'acheter une voiture.

He saves in order to buy a car.

Illustration for afin (in order to)

More examples

Nous avons organisé la réunion afin que tout le monde puisse participer.

We organized the meeting so that everyone could participate.

Core concept

A clear line from an action to its intended goal.

Common phrases

  • afin que

    so that

  • afin d'

    in order to

Similar words

pour que: Expresses the purpose of an action, meaning "so that".
afin que: Expresses purpose in formal contexts, meaning "so that".
afin de: Expresses purpose before an infinitive, meaning "in order to".

Definition in French

Exprime l'objectif d'une action, généralement sous les formes « afin de… » ou « afin que… ».

Word origin

Afin developed from the older phrase à fin, ultimately from Latin ad finem, meaning 'toward the end', and came to mark purpose.

Usage tips

  • Afin de takes an infinitive, while afin que takes the subjunctive, and both forms are more formal than pour.

Other meanings

  • so thatconjunction

Word lists with this word