Breakdown of Viele Leute verzichten auf Fleisch, damit sie vegan leben.
sie
they
die Leute
the people
viel
much / a lot
das Fleisch
the meat
leben
to live (be alive, exist)
damit
so that
vegan
vegan
verzichten auf
to give up
Questions & Answers about Viele Leute verzichten auf Fleisch, damit sie vegan leben.
Why do we need the word auf before Fleisch?
The verb verzichten (to give up or to do without) is a verb with a fixed preposition. It must always be paired with auf. In German, you don't just give up meat, you give up 'on' meat (auf Fleisch verzichten).
Since the current lesson is about sondern (but rather) after negative statements, could we use sondern here?
No. While verzichten has a negative meaning (doing without something), the first clause lacks a grammatically negative word like nicht or kein, which sondern strictly requires. Also, the second part of this sentence shows the purpose behind the action (so that), rather than contrasting a negative statement with a positive alternative.
Why is the verb leben at the very end of the sentence?
The word damit (so that) is a subordinating conjunction. Conjunctions like this create a subordinate clause and kick the conjugated verb (leben) to the very end of that specific clause.
What case is Fleisch in after auf?
It is in the accusative case. When auf is part of the fixed verb combination verzichten auf, it always forces the following noun into the accusative. Because Fleisch is a neuter noun used here without an article, its form doesn't visibly change from the nominative, but it is grammatically accusative.
Could I use um ... zu (in order to) instead of damit?
Yes! Because the subject is exactly the same in both halves of the sentence (Viele Leute and sie), you could shorten the second half to an infinitive clause: Viele Leute verzichten auf Fleisch, um vegan zu leben.
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