GrammarB1· Umwelt & Nachhaltigkeit
Finalsätze mit um … zu und damit
Purpose clauses: um … zu and damit
Kartoffel · your teacher
Hi! Let's look at this one together — step by step, no rush.
From what you know
…, dass die Luft sauberer wird.becomes…, damit die Luft sauberer wird.6 parts · about 6 min
1What & when
In one line
In one lineSame : um … zu. A new subject: damit, with the verb at the end.
1
Before
Wir drehen die Heizung herunter. Wir wollen Energie sparen.
Watch the sentence change …
The same people in both parts. So the second wir and wollen go, and the purpose becomes um … zu with the .
„Wir drehen die Heizung herunter, um Energie zu sparen.“ — We turn the heating down to save energy.
Kartoffel
First, what is it?
A Finalsatz (a purpose clause) says what an action is for. It answers the question (what for?). German builds it in two ways. One is um … zu with an . The other is damit with a full . That is a clause like the ones after dass and weil, with the verb at the end.
Kartoffel
And when do you need it? More often than you'd think:
Umwelt & NachhaltigkeitYou need it whenever you explain the goal behind what you do. In a house initiative, that is almost every argument. Why do you separate the rubbish? Why is the bottle crate in the cellar? Why do you plant trees in the courtyard? English says 'to …' or 'so that …'. German chooses by who acts.
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