Breakdown of Wir schonen den Boden dadurch, dass wir ohne Dünger arbeiten.
arbeiten
to work
wir
we
ohne
without
der Boden
the floor / the ground
Questions & Answers about Wir schonen den Boden dadurch, dass wir ohne Dünger arbeiten.
How does dadurch, dass translate to "by working"?
English often uses "by" plus an "-ing" verb to show how an action is achieved. German expresses this "means to an end" by pairing the pointer word dadurch (through that) with a dass (that) clause. Literally, the sentence says: "We conserve the soil through the fact that we work without fertilizer."
Why is the verb arbeiten at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase dadurch, dass introduces a subordinate clause. Whenever you have a dependent clause starting with dass, the conjugated verb gets kicked to the very end of that clause.
Why is it den Boden instead of der Boden?
Boden (soil or ground) is a masculine noun. Here, it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb schonen (to conserve), which means it must take the accusative case. For masculine nouns, der changes to den.
What is the difference between schonen and schützen?
While schützen broadly means "to protect" from outside danger, schonen means "to treat with care," "to spare," or "to go easy on." By working without fertilizer, they are being gentle with the soil.