تا و برای اینکه

Purpose with تا and برای اینکه

Level 3

The purpose verb stays in the present form, even when the main verb is in the past.

How It Works

A purpose answers the question What for? It has two parts. The main clause says what you did, and تا or برای اینکه starts the purpose.

Main clauseLinkPurpose
به بازار رفتیمتامیوه بخریم.
زود بلند شدمبرای اینکهدیر نشوم.

The purpose verb is the subjunctive: بـ plus the present stem (بخریم), or نـ for a purpose you want to avoid (نشوم). It stays in the present form when the main verb is in the past.

The two parts can have different people: مادرم نان پخت تا ما بخوریم. (My mother baked bread so that we could eat.) تا also means until, and until can take the subjunctive too: صبر کن تا بیاید (wait until she comes). After an action done for a reason, as in these sentences, تا with the subjunctive means so that.

Examples (5)

  1. به بازار رفتیم تا میوه بخریم.

    We went to the market to buy fruit.

    تا is followed by the subjunctive بخریم.

  2. مادرم صبح زود بلند شد تا نان بپزد.

    My mother got up early in the morning to bake bread.

    بپزد is the subjunctive of پختن.

  3. برای اینکه دیر نشویم، زود روان شدیم.

    We set off early so that we wouldn't be late.

    برای اینکه can open the sentence, and نشویم is the negative subjunctive.

  4. فرید یک بایسکل خرید، برای اینکه با آن به مکتب برود.

    Farid bought a bicycle so that he could ride it to school.

    The purpose clause has its own verb, برود.

  5. شبنم نان زیاد پخت تا مهمانان گرسنه نمانند.

    Shabnam baked a lot of bread so that the guests wouldn't stay hungry.

    نمانند is a negative subjunctive, so the purpose is to avoid something.

Common Mistakes

  • Using می‌ after تا.

    به بازار رفتیم تا میوه می‌خریم.
    به بازار رفتیم تا میوه بخریم.

    The purpose verb needs the subjunctive with بـ, not the present with می‌.

  • Leaving out اینکه after برای.

    برای دیر نشویم، زود روان شدیم.
    برای اینکه دیر نشویم، زود روان شدیم.

    Before a verb clause, برای needs اینکه. Before a noun it stands alone: برای مادرم چای آوردم.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

تا و برای اینکهLevel 3Purpose with تا and برای اینکه

Learn This First

These words give a purpose and take the subjunctive.

Words in This Pattern

تا