Español — Purpose connectors
To express purpose in Spanish, choose between an infinitive and the subjunctive depending on the subject: para aprobar (same subject) vs para que apruebes (different subject).
How it works
When both clauses share the same subject, use para + infinitive: Vengo para ayudarte. When the subjects differ, use para que + subjunctive: Vengo para que me ayudes. The formal variants behave the same way — a fin de and con el fin de take an infinitive with one subject, a fin de que takes the subjunctive with two subjects. After verbs of movement, a que introduces purpose with the subjunctive: Vengo a que me expliques.
Examples
| Connector | Example | Use |
|---|---|---|
| para + infinitivo | Estudio para aprobar el examen. | Same subject; neutral, everyday register. |
| para que + subjuntivo | Te escribo para que lo sepas. | Different subjects; the subordinate verb is subjunctive. |
| a fin de + infinitivo | Trabajamos a fin de mejorar el servicio. | Same subject; formal, written register. |
| a fin de que + subjuntivo | Lo repitió a fin de que todos lo entendieran. | Different subjects; formal counterpart of para que. |
| con el fin de + infinitivo | Vino con el fin de ayudar. | Same subject; formal, common in reports. |
| a que + subjuntivo | Vengo a que me expliques la lección. | After verbs of movement (ir, venir); different subjects, subjunctive. |
Good to know
A frequent mistake is using para que with a single subject: not Vengo para que te ayude but Vengo para ayudarte. Reserve para que for two different subjects. Also note that a fin de que never drops the que before a conjugated verb.