Breakdown of Ich brauche die Hilfe eines Lehrers, um das Stipendium zu bekommen.
ich
I
ein
a, an (eine)
brauchen
to need
der Lehrer
the teacher
die Hilfe
the help
zu
to (infinitive marker)
um ... zu
in order to
bekommen
to receive / to get (be given)
das Stipendium
the scholarship
Questions & Answers about Ich brauche die Hilfe eines Lehrers, um das Stipendium zu bekommen.
How is the um ... zu structure formed in this sentence?
The phrase um ... zu means 'in order to'. The word um comes right after the comma, and zu is placed immediately before the infinitive verb at the very end of the sentence (zu bekommen).
Why is there an -s on the end of Lehrers, and why use eines?
This uses the genitive case, which shows possession ('a teacher's help' or 'the help of a teacher'). For masculine nouns like Lehrer, the article ein becomes eines, and we add an -s to the noun itself.
Why is there a comma before um?
In German, you must always use a comma to separate the main sentence (Ich brauche die Hilfe eines Lehrers) from an infinitive clause that starts with um.
Does bekommen mean 'to become'?
No, bekommen is a tricky false friend! It actually means 'to get' or 'to receive', which is why it is used here for getting a scholarship. If you wanted to say 'to become', you would use the verb werden.
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