Cómo usar So that en inglés
Entender la gramática es clave para entender un idioma. Trucos sobre la gramática inglesa con Gymglish, aprende inglés online.
PRUEBA TU NIVEL DE INGLÉS
Prueba gratuita, sin obligación de compra
4,7 en App Store, Play Store y Trustpilot.
Más de 8.000.000 de usuarios en todo el mundo
Cómo usar So that
So that (para que, de modo que) permite expresar un objetivo, y suele ir seguido de un verbo modal como can, will, may, could, would o might:
Horatio left the Amazon so that he could work with Bruno Delavigne (Horatio dejó el Amazonas para poder trabajar con Bruno Delavigne).
I've finished the report so that you may read it (He terminado el informe para que puedas leerlo).
So that you don't go hungry, I left some food on the table (Para que no tengas hambre, dejé un poco de comida en la mesa).
Observa la diferencia entre so that y so. Como conjunción, so (así que, por lo tanto) se utiliza para mostrar un efecto o resultado.
I was tired so I decided not to go to the party (Estaba cansado así que decidí no ir a la fiesta).
Ejercicio 1
Choose the most logical conjunction from the list below for each blank. Each conjunction is used only once.
so that | once | while | although
Every morning, Jean reads a French newspaper he eats his breakfast. He chooses a different newspaper every day he gets a variety of perspectives. he has finished eating, he stops reading, he often takes the paper with him to work.
so that | once | while | although
Every morning, Jean reads a French newspaper he eats his breakfast. He chooses a different newspaper every day he gets a variety of perspectives. he has finished eating, he stops reading, he often takes the paper with him to work.
Choose the most logical conjunction from the list below for each blank. Each conjunction is used only once.
so that | once | while | although
Every morning, Jean reads a French newspaper while 1 he eats his breakfast. He chooses a different newspaper every day so that 2 he gets a variety of perspectives. Once 3 he has finished eating, he stops reading, although 4 he often takes the paper with him to work.
so that | once | while | although
Every morning, Jean reads a French newspaper while 1 he eats his breakfast. He chooses a different newspaper every day so that 2 he gets a variety of perspectives. Once 3 he has finished eating, he stops reading, although 4 he often takes the paper with him to work.
1 while: "While" is used to introduce two clauses that happen simultaneously or a continuous action that is interrupted by another. Every morning, Jean reads the newspaper at the same time as he eats his breakfast. "While" can also be used in a similar way to "even though" and "although", for example: "While Bruno appreciated the gesture, he could not accept the prize".
2 so that: "So that", like "in order to", introduces the objective, aim or goal of an action. Obtaining a variety of perspectives is Jean's objective here: it is the reason why he chooses to read different newspapers. Another example: "I'm learning Japanese so that I can chat with my next-door neighbor, who is from Osaka".
3 Once: As a conjunction, "once" has a similar meaning to "as soon as" or "after". We are saying that after he finishes eating, Jean stops reading. Note that "once" is usually followed by a perfect tense, conjugated using "have". For example: "I usually do the washing-up once I have finished my dinner".
4 although: "Although" introduces a contrast between two ideas, and is similar in meaning to "in spite of", "despite" or "regardless of". Here, we are saying that Jean stops reading, but takes the newspaper to work (and perhaps continues reading later). Another example: "I don't normally eat cake, although I make an exception when it's someone's birthday".
Ejercicio 2
Choose the most logical conjunction for each sentence from the list below. Each conjunction is used only once.
so that | although | until
Icarus needs new batteries for his calculator he can finish his financial report.
The meeting won't begin Horatio has finished his whiskey.
Philip has a bad cold, he will still go to the sales convention.
so that | although | until
Icarus needs new batteries for his calculator he can finish his financial report.
The meeting won't begin Horatio has finished his whiskey.
Philip has a bad cold, he will still go to the sales convention.
Choose the most logical conjunction for each sentence from the list below. Each conjunction is used only once.
so that | although | until
Icarus needs new batteries for his calculator so that 1 he can finish his financial report.
The meeting won't begin until 2 Horatio has finished his whiskey.
Although 3 Philip has a bad cold, he will still go to the sales convention.
so that | although | until
Icarus needs new batteries for his calculator so that 1 he can finish his financial report.
The meeting won't begin until 2 Horatio has finished his whiskey.
Although 3 Philip has a bad cold, he will still go to the sales convention.
1 so that: "So that" shares the same meaning as "in order that/to" or "with the purpose that". Icarus needs new batteries for his calculator in order to finish his report; in other words, he cannot finish his report without them. Another example: "I'm getting a haircut so that people at work will find me attractive".
2 until: As a subordinate conjunction, "until" shares a similar meaning with "before" in negative constructions. In other words, the meeting will start after Horatio has finished his whiskey (and will not start if he doesn't finish it). "Until" can also mean "up to the time of", for example: "Bruno walked in the rain until he was so tired that he had to sit down".
3 Although: "Although" shares the same meaning as "even though", "regardless of (the fact that)" or "in spite of (the fact that)", and is usually found at the beginning of clauses. The term introduces the contrast between Phillip having a bad cold, and his decision to attend the sales conference. He decided to attend the conference despite his cold, or regardless of his cold.
Ejercicio 3
Choose between so that and in order.
Sophie: Bob, what on earth have you done?
Bob: I’ve painted the walls they don’t look so dull and depressing. Don’t you like it?
Sophie: Couldn’t you have phoned me to check whether I liked the color?
Bob: I thought everyone liked blood-red for a bedroom!
Sophie: Bob, what on earth have you done?
Bob: I’ve painted the walls they don’t look so dull and depressing. Don’t you like it?
Sophie: Couldn’t you have phoned me to check whether I liked the color?
Bob: I thought everyone liked blood-red for a bedroom!
Choose between so that and in order.
Sophie: Bob, what on earth have you done?
Bob: I’ve painted the walls so that 1 they don’t look so dull and depressing. Don’t you like it?
Sophie: Couldn’t you have phoned me in order 2 to check whether I liked the color?
Bob: I thought everyone liked blood-red for a bedroom!
Sophie: Bob, what on earth have you done?
Bob: I’ve painted the walls so that 1 they don’t look so dull and depressing. Don’t you like it?
Sophie: Couldn’t you have phoned me in order 2 to check whether I liked the color?
Bob: I thought everyone liked blood-red for a bedroom!
1 so that: We use "so that" to introduce the objective, aim or goal of an action. Making the walls look less dull and depressing was the objective of Bob painting them. Another example: "I telephone my mother every day so that she doesn't feel too lonely".
1 in order: Both "so that" and "in order" introduce the objective of an action. However, as a general rule, "in order" is followed by an infinitive with "to". We could say: "I painted the walls in order to make them look brighter".
2 in order: Sophie is talking about Bob telephoning her in order to check something: the action of "checking" would be the aim or goal of Bob telephoning Sophie. "In order" is followed by an infinitive verb with "to". Another example: "I turned the kettle on in order to boil water for the pasta".
2 so that: "So that" cannot be followed by an infinitive verb like "to check". It is generally followed by a conjugated verb, often introduced by an auxiliary or modal verb like "can", "may", "would" or "don't". For example: "Let's turn the volume up so that our neighbors can hear!".
Ejercicio 4
Choose between so that and in order.
Bruno: We need to make our advertising different to stand out from our competitors.
Susie: I completely agree, Bruno. Perhaps we should use less conventional-looking models our customers see us as progressive.
Philip: Or we could use a wacky, dancing monkey people think we’re fun!
Bruno: I like your thinking, Philip. Let’s look into this monkey idea in more detail.
Bruno: We need to make our advertising different to stand out from our competitors.
Susie: I completely agree, Bruno. Perhaps we should use less conventional-looking models our customers see us as progressive.
Philip: Or we could use a wacky, dancing monkey people think we’re fun!
Bruno: I like your thinking, Philip. Let’s look into this monkey idea in more detail.
Choose between so that and in order.
Bruno: We need to make our advertising different in order 1 to stand out from our competitors.
Susie: I completely agree, Bruno. Perhaps we should use less conventional-looking models so that 2 our customers see us as progressive.
Philip: Or we could use a wacky, dancing monkey so that 3 people think we’re fun!
Bruno: I like your thinking, Philip. Let’s look into this monkey idea in more detail.
Bruno: We need to make our advertising different in order 1 to stand out from our competitors.
Susie: I completely agree, Bruno. Perhaps we should use less conventional-looking models so that 2 our customers see us as progressive.
Philip: Or we could use a wacky, dancing monkey so that 3 people think we’re fun!
Bruno: I like your thinking, Philip. Let’s look into this monkey idea in more detail.
1 in order: Both "so that" and "in order" introduce the objective, aim or goal of an action. The difference is that "in order" is followed by an infinitive verb with "to". Another example: "Let's introduce a discount on this product in order to attract more customers".
1 so that: "So that" cannot be used before an infinitive verb such as "to stand out". Bruno could say: "We need to make our advertising different so that we stand out from our competitors" (or "so that we can stand out from our competitors").
2 so that: For Susie, Delavigne's customers seeing the company as progressive is the aim or desired outcome of using less conventional-looking models. "So that" is often followed by an auxiliary or modal verb such as "could" or "may", but it doesn't have to be, as you can see in this sentence. An example: "Our education policy was created so that all children might have equal access to good schools".
2 in order: As a general rule, "in order" is followed by an infinitive with "to". We could say: "We should use less conventional-looking models in order to give ourselves a progressive image".
3 so that: Philip's sentence is very similar in construction to Susie's. For Philip, customers seeing Delavigne as fun is the objective or goal of using the dancing monkey in the advertising. Another example: "I shouted loudly so that my son would hear me".
3 in order: We can't use "in order" before a conjugated verb like "(people) think". "In order" is generally followed immediately by the infinitive plus "to". We could say: "Or we could use a dancing monkey in order to make people see us as fun!".
Ejercicio 5
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate form of the verb.
My mother got me a private math tutor so that I my exams.
The tutor made me practice every day so that I the answers instinctively.
Now that I'm a rocket scientist, I plan to send my mother to the moon so she how grateful I am.
My mother got me a private math tutor so that I my exams.
The tutor made me practice every day so that I the answers instinctively.
Now that I'm a rocket scientist, I plan to send my mother to the moon so she how grateful I am.
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate form of the verb.
My mother got me a private math tutor so that I could pass 1 my exams.
The tutor made me practice every day so that I would know 2 the answers instinctively.
Now that I'm a rocket scientist, I plan to send my mother to the moon so she may know 3 how grateful I am.
My mother got me a private math tutor so that I could pass 1 my exams.
The tutor made me practice every day so that I would know 2 the answers instinctively.
Now that I'm a rocket scientist, I plan to send my mother to the moon so she may know 3 how grateful I am.
1 could pass: "So that" is often followed by an auxiliary or modal verb. In a past-tense sentence, we often use "could" or "would". In this sentence, the speaker is saying that the objective of getting a private tutor was for the speaker to later become able to pass their exams. Another example: "My doctor prescribed me some pills so that I would sleep better at night".
1 am passing: The speaker is talking in the past tense and referring to things that happened in the past. It doesn't make sense to use the present tense verb "I am passing" here.
1 passed: "So that" introduces an objective, goal or aim, but not an outcome or result. "I passed my exams" is a result: it describes something that happened in the past. At the time when the speaker got a private tutor, they didn't know whether they would pass their exams or not: passing their exams was an objective. Therefore, the simple past tense is not the best choice here.
2 would know: The objective or purpose of the daily practice was for the speaker to know the answers instinctively at a later point in time (still in the past). We therefore say "…so that I would know". We could also say "…so that I might know", which would indicate less certainty about reaching the objective. Another example: "My father took me to the opera at an early age so that I might learn to love it".
2 know: "Know" could be the present indicative or the present subjunctive tense, but both are incorrect here. This sentence is about the past, so it doesn't make sense to use the present indicative. We do not use the subjunctive after "so that" in English.
2 can know: We would use "can" after "so that" in a present-tense sentence, not a past-tense sentence. For example: "I'm learning Vietnamese so that I can travel around Vietnam next year".
3 may know: The speaker plans to send their mother to the moon, with the aim or goal of his mother knowing how grateful they are. The speaker hopes this will happen, but it is not a certain result, so we say "so that she may know". Another example: "I write my wife a card every month so that she may see how much I love her".
3 would know: We would use "would" after "so that" in a past-tense sentence, not a present-tense sentence ("I plan to send my mother to the moon"). For example: "I played a trick on my brother yesterday: I set his alarm for 3:30am so he would wake up in the middle of the night".
3 knew: This sentence is in the present tense("I plan to send my mother to the moon"), so it doesn't make sense to use the past-tense verb "she knew" here.
¿Todavía tienes dificultades con 'Cómo usar So that'? Mejora tu inglés con Gymglish: ¡prueba ahora nuestras lecciones de inglés gratis y recibe un certificado de nivel gratis!
Lo que dicen nuestros usuarios:
Descubre otras reglas gramaticales. Mejora tu inglés y prueba Gymglish, cursos en inglés en línea.
