Learn to express purpose in German using finalsätze with "damit" and "um ... zu," key words indicating intention like "buchen" (to book) and "reservieren" (to reserve) in practical examples.
- damit and um ... zu are used to connect sentences and express a purpose or an intention.
- um ... zu is a bit more formal or written
| Konjunktion | Erklärung | Beispiel |
| damit | Nebensatz zeigt Absicht/Ziel (Subordinate clause shows intention/goal) | Ich buche ein Hostel, damit wir günstig übernachten. |
| um ... zu | Infinitivkonstruktion für Absicht/Ziel (Infinitive construction for intention/purpose) | Ich reserviere ein Doppelzimmer, um bequem zu schlafen. |
Exceptions!
- damit = subordinate clause with the verb at the end is mandatory
- um ... zu can only be used for the subject of the main clause
Exercise 1: Finalsätze mit damit und um ... zu
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
damit, um
1.
"Ich habe die Halbpension gebucht, ... besser zu essen.",
(I booked half board in order to eat better.)
2.
"Ich habe das Hostel gebucht, ... sicher zu schlafen.",
(I booked the hostel to sleep safely.)
3.
"Das Reisebüro bestätigt die Buchung, ... alles klar ist.",
(The travel agency confirms the booking so that everything is clear.)
4.
"Ich buche ein Hostel, ... wir günstig übernachten.",
(I am booking a hostel so that we can stay cheaply.)
5.
"Wir wollen die Vollpension, ... wir nicht selbst kochen.",
(We want full board so that we don't have to cook ourselves.)
6.
"Wir buchen die Unterkunft früh, ... alles bestätigt wird.",
(We book the accommodation early so that everything is confirmed.)
7.
"Ich finde ein Hostel, ... günstig zu übernachten.",
(I am looking for a hostel to stay cheaply.)
8.
"Ich reserviere ein Doppelzimmer, ... bequem zu schlafen.",
(I am booking a double room to sleep comfortably.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct and correctly expresses the purpose or intention with 'damit' or 'um ... zu'.
1.
'damit' requires a subordinate clause with a conjugated verb at the end; 'um' may not be combined here.
After 'um' in German, the infinitive with 'zu' follows; here 'zu' is missing and the sentence structure is wrong.
2.
'damit' subordinate clause needs a conjugated verb at the end; here an infinitive is wrongly used.
'um ... zu' must be used with infinitive + 'zu', not with a subordinate clause with conjugated verb.
3.
'um ... zu' must be followed by an infinitive, not a subordinate clause with verb at the end.
'damit' and 'um' may not be used together as conjunctions.
4.
'um' and 'damit' are wrongly combined here; this is grammatically incorrect.
'damit' subordinate clause needs a conjugated verb at the end, not the infinitive.
