When should I use "um...zu" and when "damit" when introducing a final subordinate sentence?

Both the conjunctions "um" and "damit" introduce a final subordinate sentence. The only difference between the two lies in the subject of the sentence. When using the conjunction "um..zu"  the subject of the subordinate clause must be the same subject of the main clause, whereas when using "damit" the main and the subordinate clause can have two different subjects. 

For example: Ich höre Musik nicht, damit meine Mutter schlafen kann.

The subject of the first clause is "ich", whereas the subject of the subordinate clause is "meine Mutter". For this reason I have used the conjunction "damit" instead of "um...zu".

Answered by Alice B. German tutor

37856 Views

See similar German A Level tutors

Related German A Level answers

All answers ▸

I don't understand when to use reported speech. Can you explain it?


When should I use Konjunktiv I?


Die Universität soll kostenlos sein. Was denken Sie?


How can you tell the gender of a noun in German?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences