Spanish Grammar

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GRAMMAR INDEX

Spanish Grammar A1 ⮟
Ser and Estar in Spanish for Beginners
Está and Hay in Spanish to Express Location
The Present Indicative in Spanish
The verb querer in Spanish: how to use it
The Verb Gustar in Spanish
Demonstratives in Spanish and Adverbs of Place
Possessive Adjectives in Spanish
The Present Continuous in Spanish: Estar + Gerund
The Gerund in Spanish: Form and Basic Uses
Expressions of Quantity in Spanish: Muy and Mucho
Spanish Grammar A2 ⮟
Present Perfect Indicative in Spanish
The Past Simple in Spanish
The Preterite Imperfect Indicative in Spanish
Indicative past tenses in Spanish
How to Express Future in Spanish
How to use por and para in Spanish
Possessive Pronouns in Spanish
Comparative Adjectives in Spanish
Ya in Spanish: Meaning and Usage
Subject Personal Pronouns in Spanish
Expressing Obligation in Spanish
Spanish Grammar B1 ⮟
The Pluperfect Indicative in Spanish
The Future Simple in Spanish
The Conditional Simple in Spanish
The imperative mood in Spanish
The present subjunctive in Spanish
Verbal Periphrasis in Spanish
General Rules of Accentuation in Spanish
Expressing Wishes with the Subjunctive in Spanish
The Use of Cuando with Indicative and Subjunctive
Position of Object Pronouns in Spanish
Spanish Grammar B2 ⮟
Advanced Uses of Conditional Simple
The Future Perfect in Spanish
The Conditional Perfect in Spanish
Present Perfect Subjunctive in Spanish
How do I use the past imperfect subjunctive?
The Pluperfect Subjunctive in Spanish
How to express probability in Spanish
Conditional Clauses in Spanish
Verbs of Change in Spanish
Reported Speech in Spanish
Spanish Grammar C1 ⮟
The passive Voice in Spanish
Adverbial Clauses of Manner in Spanish
Adverbial Clauses of Cause in Spanish
Clauses of Purpose in Spanish
Conditional Conjunctions in Spanish
Uses of the Pronoun SE with Syntactic Function
Uses of the Pronoun Se as a Verb Mark
The Indeterminate Feminine in Spanish

Clauses of Purpose in Spanish

Clauses of purpose in Spanish or final sentences are a type of adverbial subordinate clauses that introduces the purpose or objective expressed by the action of the main verb. The information they provide answers the question ¿para qué?

For example: Reservo clases en Spanishviaskype.com para mejorar mi español = ¿Para qué estudias español? Para mejorar mi español.

To form final clauses we can use either the infinitive or the subjunctive. If the subject is the same in both clauses, or if we are dealing with an impersonal sentence, we use the infinitive. On the other hand, if the subjects of the verbs are different, we use the structure que + subjunctive.

  • Infinitive with the same subject = Para aprender (tú) español, debes (tú) practicar mucho.
  • Infinitive in impersonal sentence = Para aprender (anyone) español, hay que practicar (anyone) mucho.
  • Que + subjuntive with different subjects = Para que aprendas (tú) español, puedo (yo) ayudarte.

 

 

Clauses of Purpose in Spanish: Most Common Connectors

To introduce clauses of purpose in Spanish we can use some of the following connectors:

  • Para: it is the most general connector and can be used in any register. In addition to introducing subordinate propositions, it can also accompany nouns.

Hoy tenemos legumbres para comer / para la comida.

  • Con el objeto/propósito/objetivo de, con la intención/finalidad de, a fin de: they are mainly used in the formal register. Unlike para, they are used to refer to actions exclusively. For example:

Le escribimos esta carta con el objeto de regularizar su situación laboral.

Le ofrecemos nuestra ayuda a fin de que pueda obtener un mayor ahorro.

Other Connectors of Purpose in Spanish

Next, we are going to present other connectors that introduce clauses of purpose in Spanish. These are less general and offer secondary nuances such as cause or mode.

  • A: it’s used with some verbs of motion, specifically those that indicate direction (venir, ir, entrar, salir, subir, bajar…) For example:

Vamos a la tienda a comprar.

Tu padre está en el sótano. Baja a que te dé el martillo.

  • Que: we mainly use it in spoken language to express the purpose of a request or order. It is always formed with the subjunctive:

Estudia un poco esta noche, que no suspendas el examen.

  • Por(que): in addition to the final meaning, they also have a causative nuance. For example:

Voy a ver las noticias por saber qué ha pasado hoy.

Te he comprado algunas cosas porque tengas algo para cenar.

Both the connector que and por(que) can introduce causative sentences. However, unlike clauses of purpose in Spanish, causative sentences are formed in the indicative. We recommend you to read the article about adverbial clauses of cause in Spanish and their main connectors to learn more about this topic. Remember that Spanishviaskype.com offers you a section of free grammar resources to learn or review grammar contents adapted by levels.

Spanishviaskype's new site free resources

  • De modo/forma/manera que: they introduce a purpose with a nuance of manner. They are always formed with subjunctive. For example:

Usamos Skype de modo que los estudiantes aprendan más cómodamente.

  •  No sea/vaya a ser que: they are used in the colloquial register to emphasize the fear that something will come true. They are equivalent to para que no. In addition, they also offer a causal and probability nuance. They could be substituted for porque quizás. For example:

Dame la mano antes de cruzar, no sea que te atropelle un coche (para que no te atropelle / porque quizá te atropelle).

We hope this free grammar resource has clarified the use of clauses of purpose in Spanish. However, don’t stop here. We encourage you to reserve classes with us to put what you’ve learned into practice.

Infographic about the clauses of purpose in Spanish