Breakdown of Der Student ist früh aufgestanden, um die Vorlesung nicht zu verpassen.
sein
to be
nicht
not
früh
early
aufstehen
to get up
verpassen
to miss
zu
to (infinitive marker)
der Student
the university student
um ... zu
in order to
die Vorlesung
the lecture
Questions & Answers about Der Student ist früh aufgestanden, um die Vorlesung nicht zu verpassen.
Where exactly do we put nicht in an um ... zu sentence?
When expressing "in order not to", the nicht goes right before the zu + infinitive at the very end of the clause. In this sentence, it sits directly in front of zu verpassen.
Why is there a comma right before um?
In German, you must always use a comma to separate the main sentence (Der Student ist früh aufgestanden) from an um ... zu purpose clause. Punctuation rules for clauses like this are much stricter in German than in English!
Why does the first part of the sentence use ist ... aufgestanden instead of hat ... aufgestanden?
The verb aufstehen (to get up) describes a change of state, going from lying in bed to standing up. In the spoken past tense (Perfekt), verbs that show a change of state or motion always use a form of sein (here, ist) as the helping verb instead of haben.
Can I use vermissen here instead of verpassen to mean "miss"?
No, because German has two different words for "miss". You use verpassen when you are late and miss a physical event, a train, or a lecture. You use vermissen when you emotionally miss a person or a place.
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