Word
Ich teste den Knopf, damit der Roboter funktioniert.
Meaning
I test the button so that the robot works.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ich teste den Knopf, damit der Roboter funktioniert.
ich
I
funktionieren
to work (function)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
damit
so that
Questions & Answers about Ich teste den Knopf, damit der Roboter funktioniert.
Why do we use damit here instead of um ... zu?
Both can be used to express purpose, but you can only use um ... zu if the subject is the exact same in both parts of the sentence. Here, the first subject is ich (I) and the second is der Roboter (the robot). Because the subjects are different, we have to use damit.
Why is the verb funktioniert at the very end of the sentence?
The word damit is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a dependent clause, which means it kicks the conjugated verb (funktioniert) to the very end of that clause.
Could I use arbeitet instead of funktioniert to say the robot works?
It is much more natural to use funktionieren here. In German, arbeiten usually refers to a person doing a job or performing labor. When talking about machines, devices, or systems operating correctly, you use funktionieren (to function).
Why does the sentence use den Knopf instead of der Knopf?
Knopf is a masculine noun (der Knopf). Because the button is the direct object receiving the action of being tested, it must be in the accusative case, changing the definite article to den.