Breakdown of Er braucht die Kopie, um die Versicherung zu informieren.
er
he
brauchen
to need
informieren
to inform
um ... zu
in order to
die Kopie
the copy
die Versicherung
the insurance
Questions & Answers about Er braucht die Kopie, um die Versicherung zu informieren.
Why do we use um ... zu in this sentence instead of just zu?
The structure um ... zu translates to "in order to" and expresses a goal or purpose. While English often just says "to" (He needs the copy to inform...), German requires um at the beginning of the phrase and zu right before the infinitive verb at the end to clearly show this intention.
Where do the different parts of the um ... zu phrase go in the sentence?
The word um always comes right after the comma. Then comes the rest of the information (like the object, die Versicherung), and finally zu plus the infinitive verb (zu informieren) goes at the very end of the sentence.
Could I use damit (so that) to express the same purpose here?
Yes, but you would have to change the grammar! You can use um ... zu because the subject of both halves of the sentence is the same (he needs the copy, and he will inform the insurance). If you use damit, you must repeat the subject and conjugate the verb: Er braucht die Kopie, damit er die Versicherung informiert. The um ... zu version is shorter and more natural here.
Why is die Versicherung (the insurance) in the accusative case here?
The verb informieren takes a direct object in the accusative case. Even though it might feel like you are giving information to them (which could sound like an indirect dative receiver), in German you directly "inform the insurance." Therefore, the feminine noun die Versicherung stays in the accusative.
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