In English you usually express the purpose of an action using only an infinitive verb (e.g. “I bought it to share.”). In German, however, you can’t just use an infinitive, you’ll need to follow one of the three patterns below!
German Articles
How to use ‘damit,’ ‘um…zu,’ and ‘so dass’ in German final clauses?
By: Ivo Niethammer Thu Jun 05 2025
In German, we use words like damit(so that), um… zu(in order to), and so dass(so that) to introduce “final clauses” or “purpose clauses” — clauses that describe the goal, purpose, or intentions of some action or item. In German, these clauses are called Finalsätze, from Latin finis meaning end, limit, or purpose, and they provide an answer to the questions Wozu? or Wofür?(What for?):
Little Red Riding Hood:
Aber, Großmutter, was hast du für ein entsetzlich großes Maul?
But, grandmother, what an awfully big mouth you have!
"Grandmother":
Damit ich dich besser fressen kann!
So that I can eat you better!
In this article, we’ll find out all about German final clauses. We’ll discuss how a final clause is dependent on a main clause, how the conjunctions damit, um…zu, and so dass, and what we have to pay attention to in terms of sentence structure and verb forms.
Table of Contents
What are final clauses in German?
Final clauses give the goal or purpose of an action. As life is full of goals, these final clauses are very common in German. Here’s an example (pay attention to the position of the verb in the final clause!):
conjunctionverb
Ich gehe früh schlafen, damit ich am Morgen fit bin.
I go to bed early so that I am fit in the morning.
Final clauses are a type of subordinate clauseNo definition set for subordinate clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. In German subordinate clauses, the conjugated verbNo definition set for conjugated verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. generally comes at the end of the clause, so you’ll see this pattern in all final clauses.
However the specific grammar rules you’ll want to follow also depend somewhat on which conjunction you use to introduce the clause, damit, um… zu, or so dass. Let’s go over when and how to use each one of these conjunctions!
Important
‘Damit’
Damit(so that) is a “verb kicking” subordinating conjunction, meaning that when a clause begins with damit, the verb is “kicked” to the end of the clause:
subordinating conjunctionverbIch lerne Deutsch, damit ich bessere Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt habe.
I am learning German so that I will have better chances on the labor market.
In this example, the subject of the main clause and the subject of the final subordinate clause are identical (ich, I). However, it is also possible to form sentences with two different subjects:
subjectconjunctionverbIch gebe dir ein weiteres Beispiel, damit du es besser verstehst.
I’ll give you another example so that you understand it better.
You can also switch the main clause and the final subordinate clause. Remember, though, that when a subordinate clause starts the sentence it counts as the “first element” in the main clause, and so it’s immediately followed by the main verb, not the subject.
subordinate clause (first)main verb (second)subjectDamit du es besser verstehst, gebe ich dir ein weiteres Beispiel.
So that you will understand better, I’ll give you another example.
If the context is clear, then the main clause can be left out:
subordinating conjunctionverbSpeaker A:Warum lernst du Deutsch?
Why are you learning German?
Speaker B:Damit ich bessere Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt habe.
So that I have better chances on the labor market.
‘Um… zu’
Though um… zu(in order to) has more-or-less the same meaning as damit, the grammar involved is a little different because, like “in order to” in English, the conjunction um…zu forms an infinitive clause, rather than a regular subordinate clause.
An infinitive clause is a clause in which the verb is in the infinitiveNo definition set for infinitiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form. When you use um… zu, the first part, um, introduces the infinitive clause, while the infinitive particle, zu, comes right before the infinitive verb, at the end of the clause.
conjunctionverb (infinitive)Ich lerne Deutsch, um bessere Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zu haben.
I am learning German in order to have better chances on the labor market.
There are two main things to notice about the clause introduced by um… zu:
The verb is always infinitive
The subject of the final clause is implied and assumed to be identical to the subject of the main verb
Compare the example above to how you would express the same meaning using damit:
conjunctionsubjectverb (conjugated)Ich lerne Deutsch, damit ich bessere Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt habe.
I am learning German so that I will have better chances on the labor market.
→ Notice that, after damit, there is an explicit subject and a conjugated verb.Important
Unlike “in order” in an English clause, um cannot be omitted in German!
Other than the fact that the verb is infinitive and the subject is implied, clauses introduced by um…zu are very similar to those introduced by damit: The verb comes at the end of the final clause and the final clause can optionally start the sentence, as below:
subordinate clause (first)main verb (second)subjectUm bessere Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zu haben, lerne ich Deutsch.
In order to have better chances on the labor market, I am learning German.
Separable verbs in infinitive clauses
If the infinitive verb of the final clause is a separable verb, then the infinitive particle zu goes between the prefix and the original verb. You can see this in the following example with ein·schlafen (to fall asleep)(to fall asleep):
conjunctionseparable verbMeine Schwester meditiert vor dem Zubettgehen, um besser einzuschlafen.
My sister meditates before going to bed to help her fall asleep.
Keep in mind that verbs with inseparable prefixes follow the same rules as regular verbs in terms of word order:
conjunctioninseparable verbMein Sohn kommt heute früher nach Hause, um seine Aufgaben rechtzeitig zu erledigen.
My son is coming home early today to complete his assignments on time.
‘So dass’
So dass(so that) is an alternative for damit, very similar in meaning and grammar, but it is used a lot less frequently. So even though so dass might sound comfortably familiar to English, you’ll want practice using damit anyway!
subordinating conjunctionverbIch werde das Datum notieren, so dass ich es nicht vergesse.
I'll make a note of the date so that I don’t forget it.
Ich werde das Datum notieren, damit ich es nicht vergesse.
I’ll make a note of the date so I don’t forget it.
→ This is a more common phrasing.There is one difference between so dass and damit: much like “so” in English, the final clause with so dass cannot precede the main clause:
subordinating conjunctionverb✅Ich werde das Datum notieren, so dass ich es nicht vergesse.
✅I'll make a note of the date so that I don’t forget it.
❌So dass ich es nicht vergesse, werde ich das Datum notieren.
❌So that I don’t forget it, I’ll make a note of the date.
Tip
Don’t confuse so dass (2 words) with sodass (1 word)! Sodass introduces the actual result of an action, not its purpose! It’s like the difference between these English sentences:
“I studied German so I could get a job”
→ use so dass“I studied German so I got a job!”
→ use sodass
‘Auf dass’
The archaic conjunction auf dass(so that) is used much like so dass but nowadays is limited mostly to fixed expressions, phrases and biblical verses:
Richtet nicht, auf dass ihr nicht gerichtet werdet.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
How to use modal verbs in final clauses?
The German modal verbs wollen(to want), möchten(to want, to wish) and sollen(shall) are not generally used in final clauses, since it’s already clear you’re talking about an intention or goal. Instead, they are replaced with können(to be able to) or left out:
No final clause? → Use a modal of desire! | With a final clause? → No modal of desire! |
|---|---|
Unser Chef arbeitet sieben Tage die Woche. Er will erfolgreich sein. Our boss works seven days a week. He wants to be successful. | Unser Chef arbeitet sieben Tage die Woche, um erfolgreich zu sein. Our boss works seven days a week in order to be successful. |
Wir üben jeden Tag. Wir möchten besser Deutsch sprechen. We practice every day. We want to speak better German. | Wir üben jeden Tag, damit wir besser Deutsch sprechen können. We practice every day so that we can speak better German. |
Meine Mutter weckt mich am Morgen. Ich soll früher aufstehen. My mother wakes me up in the morning. I shall get up earlier. | Meine Mutter weckt mich am Morgen, damit ich früher aufstehe. My mother wakes me up in the morning so that I get up earlier. |
Summary
Let’s recap the main points we’ve covered today:
Final clauses express an intention or purpose.
They are introduced with the conjunctions damit, um… zu, or so dass.
These conjunctions introduce a subordinate clause (damit, so dass) or an infinitive clause (um…zu)
Now that you know how to express goals and intentions in German, all that’s left is for you to practice final clauses and you can achieve your goals!
