Cause and Purpose Clauses in Hebrew

In Brief

Hebrew marks a cause with connectors such as בגלל ש־ (“because”), מכיוון ש־ (“since/because”), and formal הואיל ו־ (“since/given that”). It marks a purpose mainly with כדי ל־ plus an infinitive when the implied subject stays the same, or כדי ש־ plus a conjugated verb when the purpose is expressed as a full clause. על מנת ל־ is a more formal alternative to כדי ל־.

Overview

A cause tells you why a situation exists or why an event happened. A purpose tells you the intended result of an action. Compare נשארתי בבית בגלל שהייתי חולה (“I stayed home because I was ill”), which gives an existing reason, with נשארתי בבית כדי לנוח (“I stayed home in order to rest”), which gives the goal behind the decision.

Both meanings are built with a subordinate clause (a sentence unit that depends on another clause) or with an infinitive phrase. At B2, the challenge is not simply learning another word for “because.” You need to match the connector to what follows it, notice whether the two actions have the same subject, and choose a form appropriate to conversation, formal writing, or official prose.

English can use a bare “to” for purpose and can use “because of” before a noun. Hebrew makes a similarly important distinction between a connector followed by a full clause and a preposition followed by a noun: בגלל הגשם means “because of the rain,” while בגלל שירד גשם means “because it rained.”

How It Works

Cause: a reason expressed as a clause

The following connectors introduce a clause containing its own predicate (the part that says what happens or what is true). In unvocalized Hebrew, the attached letters ש־ and ו־ are written directly onto the following word.

Connector	Basic meaning	Typical register	Example opening
בגלל ש־	because	everyday, especially speech	בגלל שהייתי...
מכיוון ש־	because, since	neutral to careful/formal	מכיוון שאין...
מפני ש־	because, since	neutral to written	מפני שהכביש...
משום ש־	because	neutral to formal	משום שהוחלט...
הואיל ו־	since, given that	highly formal, administrative, legal	הואיל והצדדים...
כי	because	very common and neutral	כי הייתי...

The basic pattern is:

main clause + cause connector + cause clause

לא יצאנו בגלל שירד גשם.
“We did not go out because it rained.”

The cause may also come first. A comma is helpful after a longer initial clause:

מכיוון שהרכבת התעכבה, הגענו אחרי שמונה.
“Since the train was delayed, we arrived after eight.”

There is no special “cause tense.” Choose the verb form according to time and meaning: לא באתי כי הייתי חולה refers to the past, while לא אבוא כי אהיה בחו״ל refers to the future.

Cause before a noun: no ש־

When the reason is a noun phrase rather than a full clause, use a prepositional expression such as בגלל, בשל, or עקב. A noun phrase is a noun together with any words that describe or identify it.

Structure	Hebrew	Meaning
בגלל + noun	בגלל המחלה	because of the illness
בשל + noun	בשל תקלה טכנית	due to a technical fault
עקב + noun	עקב מזג האוויר	owing to the weather
בגלל ש־ + clause	בגלל שהייתי חולה	because I was ill

בשל and עקב are especially frequent in announcements, news reports, and official writing. In ordinary conversation, בגלל is usually more natural.

Purpose with the same subject: כדי ל־ + infinitive

An infinitive is the dictionary-like verb form used after words such as “to” in English: ללמוד (“to study”), לעזור (“to help”), להצליח (“to succeed”). When the person performing the main action is also understood as the person performing the intended action, use:

main clause + כדי + infinitive

למדתי כדי לעבור את המבחן.
“I studied in order to pass the exam.”

The understood subject of לעבור is the same “I” expressed by למדתי. Hebrew does not add a separate subject pronoun inside this infinitive phrase.

For a negative purpose, place לא before the infinitive:

יצאתי מוקדם כדי לא לאחר.
“I left early so as not to be late.”

Purpose as a full clause: כדי ש־ + conjugated verb

Use כדי ש־ when the purpose needs its own stated subject, or when you want to present it as a full clause:

main clause + כדי ש־ + subject + conjugated verb

כתבתי את ההוראות כדי שכולם יבינו.
“I wrote the instructions so that everyone would understand.”

The verb after כדי ש־ is commonly in the future form when it describes a desired result: יבינו, תוכלי, נגיע. Hebrew has no separate subjunctive form here; the future-shaped verb carries the intended or not-yet-realized meaning. The English translation may use “can,” “could,” “would,” or simply a present form depending on context.

For a negative full purpose clause, use כדי שלא:

דיברנו בשקט כדי שהילדים לא יתעוררו.
“We spoke quietly so that the children would not wake up.”

Both כדי שהילדים לא יתעוררו and the compact כדי שלא להעיר את הילדים can be grammatical, but they organize the participants differently: the first says that the children should not wake up; the second says that the speakers intend not to wake them.

Formal purpose: על מנת ל־ and על מנת ש־

על מנת ל־ also means “in order to” or “so as to” and is followed by an infinitive:

יש למלא את הטופס על מנת לקבל אישור.
“The form must be completed in order to receive approval.”

It is common in instructions, policy, academic prose, and official communication. In everyday speech, כדי ל־ is usually shorter and more idiomatic. The expanded על מנת ש־ followed by a full clause also occurs, mainly in formal writing: הנתונים נשמרו על מנת שהחוקרים יוכלו לבדוק אותם (“The data were retained so that the researchers could examine them”).

Word order and attachment

Cause and purpose clauses may follow the main clause, which is the unmarked order. Putting the reason first gives it more prominence or provides background before the main point. Purpose clauses usually follow the action whose goal they explain.

The prefix is part of the written word that follows it:

• בגלל ש־ + הייתי → בגלל שהייתי
• מכיוון ש־ + אין → מכיוון שאין
• כדי ש־ + נוכל → כדי שנוכל
• הואיל ו־ + אין → הואיל ואין

The hyphen-like mark ־ in dictionary notation shows where a prefix attaches; it is normally omitted in continuous modern text.

Examples in Context

Hebrew	English	Note
לא באתי בגלל שהייתי חולה.	I didn’t come because I was sick.	Everyday cause with a full clause
למדתי כדי לעבור את המבחן.	I studied in order to pass the exam.	Same subject in both actions
מכיוון שאין לי זמן, אצא מאוחר.	Since I have no time, I’ll leave late.	Initial cause clause
עשיתי זאת על מנת לעזור.	I did this in order to help.	Formal purpose expression
הטיול בוטל בגלל הגשם.	The trip was canceled because of the rain.	בגלל before a noun
הטיול בוטל בגלל שירד גשם כבד.	The trip was canceled because heavy rain fell.	בגלל ש־ before a clause
מכיוון שהחנות כבר סגורה, נחזור מחר.	Since the shop is already closed, we’ll return tomorrow.	Reason placed first
הואיל ואין התנגדויות, ההצעה אושרה.	Since there are no objections, the proposal was approved.	Formal or procedural register
פתחתי את החלון כדי להכניס אוויר.	I opened the window to let in some air.	Same understood subject
שמרתי את הקבלה כדי שאוכל להחזיר את המוצר.	I kept the receipt so that I could return the product.	Full purpose clause, same person stated through the verb
שלחתי לך תזכורת כדי שלא תשכחי את הפגישה.	I sent you a reminder so that you wouldn’t forget the meeting.	Different subjects; feminine singular addressee
כיבינו את הטלפונים כדי לא להפריע.	We turned off the phones so as not to disturb anyone.	Negative infinitive purpose
הכביש נסגר עקב תאונה.	The road was closed due to an accident.	Formal noun-based cause
המסמך תורגם כדי שכל העובדים יוכלו לקרוא אותו.	The document was translated so that all the employees could read it.	Explicit subject in the purpose clause

Common Mistakes

Adding ש־ before a noun

• Wrong: בגלל שהגשם נשארנו בבית.
• Right: בגלל הגשם נשארנו בבית.
• Also right: נשארנו בבית בגלל שירד גשם.
• Why: ש־ introduces a clause. הגשם alone is a noun phrase; ירד גשם is a clause expressing what happened.

Using an infinitive when the purpose has a different subject

• Wrong: שלחתי לו הודעה כדי להגיע בזמן. (if “he,” not “I,” should arrive)
• Right: שלחתי לו הודעה כדי שהוא יגיע בזמן.
• Why: The infinitive normally inherits the subject of the main clause. Use כדי ש־ and a conjugated verb to make the different subject clear.

Translating English “so” too literally

• Wrong: דיברתי לאט אז שהם יבינו.
• Right: דיברתי לאט כדי שהם יבינו.
• Why: אז normally means “then/so” as a result connector. An intended result requires כדי ש־.

Negating purpose in the wrong place

• Wrong: יצאנו מוקדם לא כדי לאחר. (for the intended meaning “so as not to be late”)
• Right: יצאנו מוקדם כדי לא לאחר.
• Why: Put לא after כדי and immediately before the infinitive. לא כדי usually starts a contrast: “not in order to X, but in order to Y.”

Overusing formal connectors in conversation

• Awkward in casual speech: הואיל והייתי עייף, הלכתי הביתה.
• Natural: הלכתי הביתה כי הייתי עייף.
• Why: הואיל ו־ is strongly associated with legal, administrative, or ceremonious language. It is correct, but often stylistically out of place in everyday conversation.

Treating כדי ש־ as if it required a special subjunctive

• Wrong: searching for a separate Hebrew equivalent of an English or European-language subjunctive ending
• Right: אני מסביר שוב כדי שכולם יבינו.
• Why: Modern Hebrew commonly uses an ordinary conjugated form—often the future form—after כדי ש־. There is no separate subjunctive paradigm to memorize.

Usage Notes

כי is the most flexible everyday connector for a stated reason: לא התקשרתי כי הייתי עסוק (“I didn’t call because I was busy”). It can also introduce reported content, as in הוא אמר כי יבוא (“He said that he would come”), especially in writing. Context usually makes the function clear. בגלל ש־ is very common in speech, while some edited or formal styles may prefer מפני ש־, משום ש־, or מכיוון ש־ for a clause.

מכיוון ש־ often corresponds naturally to both “because” and causal “since.” Unlike English “since,” it does not express a starting point in time. Temporal “since” requires another construction, such as מאז ש־: מאז שעברנו לכאן means “since we moved here.”

For purpose, plain כדי ל־ is not less correct than על מנת ל־. The latter is simply heavier and more formal. Replacing every English “in order to” with על מנת ל־ can make ordinary Hebrew sound bureaucratic. In conversation and most general writing, start with כדי ל־ unless the context calls for institutional formality.

Hebrew often leaves a subject pronoun unstated because the verb form already gives information about person, number, and sometimes gender. Thus כדי שאוכל (“so that I can”) is usually enough; כדי שאני אוכל can be used when the subject needs emphasis or contrast. With a noun subject or potentially ambiguous form, stating the subject improves clarity.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Cause is not the same as result

Cause connectors look backward to the reason; result connectors point forward to the consequence:

Relationship	Hebrew	English
Cause	נשארנו בבית כי ירד גשם.	We stayed home because it rained.
Result	ירד גשם, ולכן נשארנו בבית.	It rained, so/therefore we stayed home.

Useful result markers include לכן (“therefore”), לפיכך (“consequently,” formal), and כתוצאה מכך (“as a result”). Choosing the wrong direction can make a logically correct idea sound confused.

Intended purpose versus actual outcome

A purpose clause reports an intention, not a guarantee:

הוא יצא מוקדם כדי להגיע בזמן, אבל האוטובוס איחר.
“He left early in order to arrive on time, but the bus was late.”

The sentence remains coherent even though the goal was not achieved. To state an actual result, use a result construction rather than כדי.

לא כדי... אלא כדי...

Placing negation before כדי creates a useful rhetorical contrast:

שאלתי לא כדי לבקר אותך, אלא כדי להבין.
“I asked not in order to criticize you, but in order to understand.”

Compare this with כדי לא לבקר אותך, which means “in order not to criticize you.” The position of לא changes what is negated.

Dense formal prose

Official Hebrew may combine nominal causes and formal purpose expressions: עקב השינוי בתקנות, נדרש עדכון של המערכת על מנת להבטיח עמידה בדרישות (“Due to the change in regulations, an update to the system is required in order to ensure compliance with the requirements”). This style is useful to recognize, but clearer general prose often prefers a finite clause and כדי.

Practice Tips

1. Transform nouns into clauses. Pair בגלל העומס (“because of the workload/traffic”) with בגלל שהיה עומס (“because there was heavy traffic”). This trains the crucial choice between בגלל and בגלל ש־.
2. Check the subject of each action. For every purpose sentence, ask “Who performs the second action?” Use כדי ל־ when it is inherited from the main clause; practice כדי ש־ when another person or group performs it.
3. Rewrite by register. Turn conversational כי and כדי ל־ sentences into careful written versions with מכיוון ש־ and על מנת ל־, then change them back. This helps you recognize formal Hebrew without making your everyday speech unnecessarily heavy.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Complex Sentences — provides the foundation for combining a main clause with a dependent clause.