Languages › French Does 'Afin Que' Need the Subjunctive? Share Flipboard Email Print Hero Images / Getty Images French Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Updated January 31, 2019 The French term afin que means "that," "so that" or "in order that." It is used as a conjunction, and afin que requires the French subjunctive. Example Je le ferai afin que nous puissions partir.I'll do it so that we can leave. Remember, the subjunctive (le subjonctif) in the French language is not a tense — it's a mood. It is used with dependent clauses to depict a speaker's subjective perspective, like an opinion, feeling, or desire. You need to use the subjunctive when the subject of the main clause is different from the subject of the dependent clause and a relative pronoun is used to connect the two. The French subjunctive is a tricky concept and generally requires a lot of practice and memorization to get right. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation ThoughtCo. "Does 'Afin Que' Need the Subjunctive?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/does-afin-que-need-subjunctive-1369087. ThoughtCo. (2020, August 28). Does 'Afin Que' Need the Subjunctive? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/does-afin-que-need-subjunctive-1369087 ThoughtCo. "Does 'Afin Que' Need the Subjunctive?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/does-afin-que-need-subjunctive-1369087 (accessed January 24, 2021). copy citation