Breakdown of Wir müssen ja feilschen, damit wir ein Schnäppchen machen.
ein
a, an (eine)
machen
to make, to do
wir
we
müssen
to have to, must
damit
so that
ja
modal particle: indeed / you see (as you know)
feilschen
to haggle
das Schnäppchen
the bargain
Questions & Answers about Wir müssen ja feilschen, damit wir ein Schnäppchen machen.
Why is ja used in this sentence if it usually means 'yes'?
In this sentence, ja is a conversational modal particle, not the word for 'yes'. It signals to the listener that what you are saying is obvious, expected, or something they probably already know. It adds a flavor similar to saying 'of course', 'obviously', or 'as you know' in English.
Why does the verb machen go to the very end of the sentence?
The word damit (so that) is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a dependent clause, which always pushes its conjugated verb—in this case, machen—to the very end.
Could I use um ... zu here instead of damit?
Yes, you could perfectly well say ... um ein Schnäppchen zu machen. You can use um ... zu (in order to) whenever the subject is the same in both halves of the sentence (here, wir). If the subjects were different—for example, 'We haggle so that he gets a bargain'—you would be forced to use damit.
Does machen literally mean 'to get' when talking about bargains?
The phrase ein Schnäppchen machen is a fixed German idiom that literally translates to 'to make a bargain'. While English speakers naturally say 'to get a bargain' or 'to find a good deal', in German, you always use the verb machen.
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