# EN: so that + tense & mode



## Albeforth

hum...i never asked myself this question before but now i did, im quite lost...i don't know what to put after "so that" i mean
e.g "je regarde les nuages afin de me rappeler que je ne suis rien"

"I look at the clouds so that i could remind me of my nothingness..."

does it fit? i mean the way to phrase the part after so that with a modal...

Bien à vous...

*Note des modérateurs : *nous avons fusionné plusieurs discussions pour créer ce fil.


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## carolineR

"I look at the clouds so that i/may/might/can/could remind myself of my nothingness..."
or
"I look at the clouds so that i remind myself of my nothingness..."


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## Thomas Tompion

Avoiding the modal is often more elegant in English too.

Why not say?: I look at the clouds to remind myself of my insignificance...


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## Albeforth

I must admit that this sounds far more fluid and elegant as you say...but i made up this sentence just to show what i needed....actually what we are supposed to put after "so that"...
so if you could help me a little further it would be a great relief...
thanks...


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## mnewcomb71

I would use the subjunctive after "so that' in English.

I watch the news so that I may (might, be) informed.


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## Canard

I agree with all said here so far except "could", which sounds incorrect to my ears (a statement of fact followed by a conditional?) You'd need "I*'d* look at the clouds so that I could..." if you wanted "could", I think.


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## Thomas Tompion

mnewcomb71 said:


> I would use the subjunctive after "so that' in English.
> 
> I watch the news so that I may (might, be) informed.


 
I'd regard that as rather literary for ordinary conversation.  I'd say, if you force me to use the construction, I watch the news so that I am informed.


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## mnewcomb71

After further reflexion, if the subject of both parts of the sentence refers to the same person, I would use the infinitive as have been suggested.  This is the same as in French, but if the subject changes after "so that", then I would definitely use the subjunctive.


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## jann

The odd thing about this example is that _so that_ was not a natural choice of words in the original example sentence.  _So that_ communicates the idea of a specific purpose of enabling that which would not otherwise be possible (or conversely, preventing that which would otherwise happen).  _So that_ is somewhat active, and looks forward to the result of your action.

"Looking at clouds" is not a required prerequisite for "remembering one's insignificance."  So you need a turn of phrase that communicates motive.  Communicating motive can be more passive, and looks backward to the reasons behind your action. This might help explain why people felt the sentence was heavy, and why they tried to suggest alternate formulations...   I would have chosen the simple infinitive construction that Thomas suggested in post #4 above.  You could also use _in order to.

_But none of this helps answer the original question, which was a good one, even if the example sentence wasn't perfect! 

There are many options for tenses with _so that.  _

I study (present) / am studying (present progressive) so that I will do well on my end-of-year exams. (simple future)
I study (present) so that I may learn the material better. (subjunctive)
I like (present) to leave the door ajar so that the cat can (present) / may (subjunctive) come and go as she pleases.
Let me drive (imperative) so that you can/may see the countryside better! (present/subj)

I studied (simple past) so that I might do well on my end-of-year exams. (subjunctive)
I studied (simple past) so that I would do well on my end-of-year exams. (conditional)
I left (simple past) the door ajar so that the cat could come and go. (conditional)

I will (future) / am going to (near future) begin to study in March so that I will (future) / may (subj) do well on my exams in May. 
I will (future) leave the door ajar so that the cat can (present) / will be able to (future) come and go.

More "complicated" tenses are also possible:

I have been studying (perfect progressive) for 3 months already so that I will/may do well on my end-of-year exams in May. 
--> behaves like "I study" (present) because it implies that you are still studying.

I have driven (perfect) for the last 3 days so that you could (cond) / might (subj) see the countryside.  Now it's your turn to drive!
--> I can also imagine using a "can" (present) here, because of the perfect tense 'relevance' in the present.

I had driven (pluperfect) for three days when my husband finally decided to take the wheel so that I would (conditional) / might (subjunctive) be able to appreciate the countryside better.


As you can see, _la concordance des temps_ plays some role in determing the appropriate tense for _so that_ + phrase.


I hope it's somewhat helpful... and I'm sure others will have better suggestions, examples, and explanations.  (And hopefully, I haven't accidentally misnamed any of those English tenses! ).


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## LeMarie

Hello,
I have a problem for finding the right tense with "so that"
I would like to write:

Could you please confirm the email address so that I make contact with him.
Is it the good sentence?
Many thanks in advance
Regards

P.S.: Je veux dire en français: Merci de me confirmer l'adresse email afin que je prenne contact avec lui _(un client)_ ou que je puisse prendre contact avec lui.


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## lilokayz

I would say, "Could you please confirm the email address so that I *can* make contact with him."


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## 1nto

Hi Wordreference community 

I was writing a description of a student association I'm involved in at my school and was wondering how to say something:


> Everything is organized so that the speaker only *has* to take care of the  content of the talk (which we believe to be the most important)



I don't know if I should put _has_ there or _have_.

Thanks


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## djweaverbeaver

*Has*,

We don't use the subjunctive after this expression in modern English.


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