Video 20: Verbs with Fixed Prepositions Drill, um...zu vs. damit

Source: Roughly 2 hours 15 minutes total. Approximate topic ranges (logistics/roll-call chatter, long silent/independent-work stretches, and ASR loop artifacts are skipped):

• 00:00–02:00 — Silence/connection setup — skipped
• 02:00–23:15 — Roll-call style verbs-with-fixed-prepositions quiz: each student is asked in turn for the German verb, its fixed preposition, and its case for a set of B1-list verbs (continuing the 70-verb list introduced in video 19) — extracted below
• 23:15–24:40 — Homework/PDF-sharing logistics (teacher explains why she won't share the full PDF in advance, to keep students writing along in class) — skipped, pure logistics
• 24:40–1:27:15 — Long silent/independent stretch (writing time, repeated "Thank you" ASR filler) — skipped, mostly silence
• 1:27:15–1:42:10 — Main grammar lesson: um...zu vs. damit (clauses of purpose), the same-subject restriction on um...zu, word order, and the modal-verb exception with können — extracted below
• 1:42:10–end — More independent work/silence, brief homework reminder — skipped, mostly silence

Topics Covered

• Verbs with fixed prepositions: continued drilling of the B1 70-verb list (case + meaning)
• um...zu vs. damit: forming purpose clauses ("in order to" / "so that")
• Same-subject restriction on um...zu; no restriction on damit
• Word order in both constructions
• Modal verbs inside um...zu/damit clauses — the rule to drop them, with können as the one exception

Verbs with Fixed Prepositions: Continued Drill

This class continued the rapid-fire recap from the B1 70-verb list (verbs with fixed prepositions, introduced in video 19), going around the room and asking each student for the preposition and case. No new grammar rule was introduced here — it was pure recall practice — but it confirms/reinforces the following verb + preposition + case pairs from the list:

• abhängen von + Dativ — to depend on
• sich aufregen über + Akkusativ — to be upset/angry about
• sich beschweren über + Akkusativ — to complain about
• bestehen aus + Dativ — to consist of
• sich basieren auf + Dativ — to be based on (the teacher accepted auf + Dativ here in the drill; note this verb is more standardly cited as basieren auf + Dativ, i.e. stative/no movement)
• ausgehen von + Dativ — to proceed from / to assume
• sich bedanken bei + Dativ — to thank someone (bei + Dativ for the person being thanked)
• bestehen auf + Dativ — to insist on (distinguished from bestehen aus = to consist of)
• sich eignen für + Akkusativ — to be suitable for
• sich erinnern an + Akkusativ/Dativ (drilled as accusative in this class) — to remember something/someone
• berichten über + Akkusativ — to report on/about
• teilnehmen an + Dativ — to participate in
• sich amüsieren über + Akkusativ — to amuse oneself about
• sich entscheiden für — to decide for/on
• sich einsetzen für + Akkusativ — to take a stand for / advocate for
• deuten auf + Akkusativ — to point to / indicate
• sich beschäftigen mit + Dativ — to occupy/busy oneself with
• sich anpassen an + Akkusativ — to adapt/adjust to
• denken an + Akkusativ — to think about
• sich auskennen mit + Dativ — to be familiar/well versed with

The teacher corrected several students mid-drill when they said abhängen instead of the full phrase with preposition, reinforcing that the verb alone is not a complete answer — the fixed preposition and case must be given together as one unit (e.g. not just "abhängen" but "abhängen von

• Dativ").

um...zu vs. damit (Clauses of Purpose)

Both constructions translate roughly as "in order to" / "so that," but they are not always interchangeable:

• um...zu = "in order to." Strict requirement: the subject of both clauses must be the same. The reason um...zu never includes its own subject is that the second clause is simply doing the action for itself — there's no separate subject to state.
  • Example: Ich lerne Deutsch, um nach Deutschland zu fliegen/gehen. → "I am learning German in order to go to Germany." (I learn German, I go to Germany — same subject, "I.")
  • Example: Ich trinke Wasser, um fit zu bleiben. → "I am drinking water in order to stay fit." (Who stays fit? I do — same subject.)
  • Word order: comma, then um at the start of the clause, with the main verb pushed to the end in its infinitive form, preceded by zu (...um ... zu + Infinitiv).
• damit = "so that." No subject restriction — the subject of the second clause can be the same or different from the first clause's subject. Because of this, damit has a much wider range of use than um...zu.
  • Example with different subjects: Ich erkläre langsam, damit er mich versteht. → "I am explaining slowly so that he understands me." (Subject 1 = I; subject 2 = he — different, so only damit works here, not um...zu.)
  • Example: Ram arbeitet hart, damit seine Mutter genießt/sich freut. → "Ram works hard so that his mother enjoys [it]/is happy." (Different subjects: Ram / his mother.)
  • Example: Ich besuche den Deutschkurs täglich, damit ... → "I visit the German course daily, so that ..." (used to illustrate the damit word-order pattern).
  • Word order: comma, then damit, with the subject in second position after damit, and the conjugated verb pushed to the end of the clause (unlike um...zu, damit clauses keep a full conjugated verb, not an infinitive, since they contain their own subject).
• Same-subject sentences can usually be expressed either way. Example: Sie arbeitet hart, um ihre Ziele zu erreichen. / Sie arbeitet hart, damit sie ihre Ziele erreicht. → both mean "She is working hard (in order) to reach her goals," because the subject ("she") is the same in both clauses.
• Rule of thumb stated directly by the teacher: um...zu's scope is limited (only same-subject sentences); damit is "applicable everywhere" and has the "vast approach" — when in doubt or when subjects differ, use damit.

Modal Verbs Inside um...zu / damit Clauses

A B2.1-level refinement the teacher flagged as "extra" (not strictly required for B1, but useful):

• Rule: when building an um...zu or damit clause, drop any modal verb that would otherwise appear in the second clause — keep only the main verb — with one exception: können, which is always kept.
  • Example: Ich lerne Deutsch, weil ich nach Deutschland fliegen will. (has modal will) → rebuilt with damit by dropping will and keeping only fliegen: Ich lerne Deutsch, damit ich nach Deutschland fliege. → "I am learning German so that I [can/will] fly to Germany." You cannot literally say "I am learning German in order to I want to go to Germany" — the modal verb has no place in the clause.
  • Example: Anna fährt in den Urlaub, damit sie sich erholt. → "Anna is going on vacation so that she relaxes." (Main verb kept: sich erholen; any modal like "would like to relax" is dropped.)
  • Exception — können: unlike other modal verbs, können is always retained in um...zu/damit clauses, because removing it would change or lose the intended meaning of ability/possibility.
    • Example: Der Lehrer spricht langsam, damit die Kinder ihn verstehen können. → "The teacher is speaking slowly so that the children can understand him." Here können stays at the very end (after the conjugated main verb verstehen), since it is the modal exception.
    • With um...zu: Er macht eine Ausbildung, um viel Geld verdienen zu können. → "He is doing an apprenticeship (in order) to be able to earn a lot of money." The main verb (verdienen) goes to the end in infinitive form, and können follows it, also infinitive, just before zu attaches to it: ...verdienen zu können.
    • Contrast with damit: Er macht eine Ausbildung, damit er Geld verdienen kann. → here kann is fully conjugated (3rd person singular) because damit clauses always carry a conjugated verb at the end, not an infinitive.
  • The teacher noted this können-with-um...zu/damit pattern is mainly relevant for B2.1 fill-in-the-blank style exam questions, not something to actively prefer in normal writing/speaking — plainer sentences without forcing in können are equally fine for application/communication purposes.

Notes & Tips

• When answering "which preposition + case" drills for verbs with fixed prepositions, always state the verb + preposition + case together as a single unit — the teacher repeatedly rejected answers that gave only the verb or only the preposition.
• um...zu: only valid when the subject is the same in both clauses; never includes its own subject; main verb goes to the end as infinitive with zu.
• damit: valid regardless of whether subjects match; subject appears right after damit; verb goes to the end conjugated (not infinitive).
• When subjects are the same, you can choose either um...zu or damit — both are correct and mean the same thing.
• When subjects differ, only damit is grammatically possible — um...zu cannot be forced into that situation.
• Modal verbs are normally dropped when building um...zu/damit clauses, keeping just the main verb — except können, which must always be kept (B2.1-level nuance, likely to show up as a fill-in-the-blank exam pattern rather than a daily-writing requirement).