How to use para que with El Presente de Subjuntivo in Spanish
In Spanish, the most commonly used connective to introduce a purpose clause (Oración subordinada de finalidad) is "para que...". It introduces a clause expressing the purpose of the main clause. This connective is always followed by the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Here we will explain how "para que" is used with El Presente de Subjuntivo.
To see how "para que" works with El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo see this lesson about subordinate clauses Para que followed by the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish (purpose subordinate clauses).
Para que... + El Presente de Subjuntivo
To use it with El Presente de Subjuntivo, we need the present tense, the present continuous tense or the perfect tense in the main clause. Have a look at the following examples:
Siempre llego temprano a la oficina para que mi jefa piense que soy muy puntual.I always arrive early to the office so that my boss thinks I am punctual.
Repasamos inglés cada día para que el exámen final no resulte demasiado difícil.We revise [US: review] English every day so that the final exam won't be too difficult.
If the main clause is in El Pretérito Perfecto, then both El Presente de Subjuntivo and El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo can be used after para que:
He salido antes del trabajo para que podamos comer juntos. (El Presente de Subjuntivo)
I left work early so that we can/could eat together.
He salido antes del trabajo para que pudiéramos comer juntos. (El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo)
I left work early so that we can/could eat together.
Important:
The subject in the main clause and the subject in the subordinate clause must be different in order to use the subjunctive. If the subject is the same in both clauses then you must use the infinitive after "para" (without "que").
Have a look at these two different sentences:
Same subjects:
Yo me siento en primera fila para poder verte mejor.I'm sitting in the first row so that I can see you better.
Different subjects:
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