Breakdown of Man schont das Klima dadurch, dass man selten fliegt.
fliegen
to fly
selten
rarely / rare
man
one / you (impersonal)
schonen
to conserve
Questions & Answers about Man schont das Klima dadurch, dass man selten fliegt.
How does "dadurch, dass" work, and why is the verb "fliegt" at the end?
The phrase dadurch, dass tells us the method or means used to do something, translating to "by doing [something]". Literally, it means "through the fact that". Because the second half of the sentence starts with dass, it is a subordinate clause. This rule forces the conjugated verb, fliegt, to be placed at the very end of the sentence.
Why do we need to say "man" twice in this sentence?
In English, we can just say "by flying rarely," which doesn't require a subject. However, German needs a full clause after dass that contains both its own subject and a conjugated verb. Since the first clause uses the general pronoun man (one / the general "you"), we repeat man in the second clause to say literally "through the fact that one rarely flies."
Why can't I just translate "by flying" directly as "durch selten fliegen"?
English often uses "-ing" verbs after prepositions, like "by flying". German generally does not do this. You cannot just put an infinitive verb right after the preposition durch. Instead, German uses the "da-word" dadurch to point forward to the next part of the sentence, and then uses a full dass clause to spell out the action.
What is the difference between "schonen" (used here) and "schützen"?
While both can loosely translate to "protect," they have different nuances. The verb schützen means to actively defend something from an attack or sudden danger. The verb schonen, which we use here, means to "go easy on," "spare," or "conserve" something by not causing it unnecessary wear, tear, or pollution.