Word
Um Panik zu vermeiden, geht sie nicht auf den Berg.
Meaning
To avoid panicking, she does not go up the mountain.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Um Panik zu vermeiden, geht sie nicht auf den Berg.
sie
she
nicht
not
gehen
to go
auf
on / to (down/up to a level)
Questions & Answers about Um Panik zu vermeiden, geht sie nicht auf den Berg.
Why use um ... zu (in order to) here instead of a normal subordinate clause?
Um ... zu is a special infinitive construction used to express intention or purpose. You can only use it when the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence. Here, sie is the one avoiding panic, and sie is the one not going up the mountain. If the subjects were different, you would have to use a conjunction like damit (so that).
Why is the verb geht placed right after the comma, instead of saying sie geht?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must be in the second position (the "V2 rule"). The entire "in order to" phrase (Um Panik zu vermeiden) acts as one single block occupying position 1. Therefore, the verb geht must take position 2, pushing the subject (sie) right behind it.
Why is it auf den Berg (accusative) rather than auf dem Berg (dative)?
auf is a "two-way" preposition. It takes the accusative case when it describes motion towards a destination (answering "where to?"). Because she is moving (or in this case, not moving) onto the mountain, it requires the masculine accusative form den Berg.
Could nicht be placed at the very end of the sentence?