Breakdown of Ich habe das Abendessen vorbereitet, damit wir essen können.
ich
I
haben
to have
wir
we
essen
to eat
können
can / to be able to
das Abendessen
the dinner
damit
so that
vorbereiten
to prepare
Questions & Answers about Ich habe das Abendessen vorbereitet, damit wir essen können.
Why does können go at the very end of the sentence?
damit is a subordinating conjunction, which means it kicks the conjugated verb to the very end of its clause. Because können is the verb that changes to match the subject wir, it is pushed to the absolute last spot.
Why is the order essen können instead of können essen?
In a normal main clause, the modal verb comes second and pushes the infinitive to the end (like Wir können essen). But because the damit clause forces the conjugated verb (können) to the very end, it has to move past the action verb (essen).
Why do we use damit here instead of just translating 'to eat'?
When expressing purpose ('so that' or 'in order to'), German uses specific structures. You must use damit if the subject changes between the two actions. Here, the first subject is ich (I prepared) and the second is wir (we eat).
Why doesn't the past participle vorbereitet have a -ge- in it?
The verb vorbereiten (to prepare) is made of the separable prefix vor- and the verb bereiten. However, bereiten starts with be-, which is an inseparable prefix. Verbs with inseparable prefixes never take a -ge- in the past tense, so it becomes vorbereitet rather than 'vorgebereitet'.
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