B1-15 · Express purpose with um ... zu and damit

Learning goals

Help fictional learners explain why they practise and how they support each other.

About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions

Gouache illustration of two adult learners at a shared study desk, one pointing to a weekly learning plan while the other practises with word cards.

One person, one purpose

In this fictional study group, Sara links each activity to a goal. Use um ... zu when the same person performs the action and pursues the goal. There is no new subject inside the um phrase.

Sara übt jeden Tag, um sicherer zu sprechen.

Sara practises every day to speak more confidently.

Sie liest laut, um die Aussprache zu verbessern.

She reads aloud to improve her pronunciation.

Sie hört den Dialog, um danach mitzusprechen.

She listens to the dialogue to say it along afterwards.

Sie macht Pausen, um konzentriert zu bleiben.

She takes breaks to stay focused.

Put a comma before um. Place zu directly before the infinitive, or inside a separable verb such as mitzusprechen.

Helping someone else learn

Sara also works with Ben. When one person acts so that another person can do something, use damit. The damit clause has its own subject and a conjugated verb at the end.

Sara spricht langsam, damit Ben alles versteht.

Sara speaks slowly so that Ben understands everything.

Ben schreibt die Wörter auf, damit Sara sie wiederholen kann.

Ben writes down the words so that Sara can revise them.

Sara schickt Ben den Text, damit er zu Hause üben kann.

Sara sends Ben the text so that he can practise at home.

Ben erklärt die Aufgabe, damit die Gruppe schneller beginnt.

Ben explains the task so that the group starts sooner.

Damit can also link actions with the same subject. Um ... zu requires a shared subject, but damit does not require different subjects.

Make the purpose precise

A goal answers the question what for. Sara uses um ... zu for her own study habits and damit for a goal with an explicit subject. Keep the goal clause complete even when the sentence gets longer.

Ich wiederhole die Wörter, damit ich sie nicht vergesse.

I revise the words so that I do not forget them.

Ich setze mir kleine Ziele, um motiviert zu bleiben.

I set myself small goals to stay motivated.

Wir treffen uns früh, damit alle genug Zeit haben.

We meet early so that everyone has enough time.

Wir lernen zusammen, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.

We study together to pass the exam.

With damit, the finite verb goes last. With um ... zu, the infinitive goes last. The examples make the intended purpose explicit, rather than merely naming a reason.

Ready to try it?

Check what you remember with 12 short questions.