Breakdown of Ich sorge dafür, dass alles fertig ist.
ich
I
sein
to be
fertig
ready / finished
alles
everything
dass
that
dafür
for it
sorgen
to see to it, to make sure
Questions & Answers about Ich sorge dafür, dass alles fertig ist.
Why do we need dafür in this sentence instead of just saying "Ich sorge, dass..."?
The verb sorgen pairs with the preposition für when it means "to see to" or "to take care of". In German, you cannot attach a dass-clause directly to a preposition. Instead, you must use the da-compound dafür as a placeholder in the main clause to point forward to the action described in the dass-clause. It works just like saying "I'll see to it, that..." in English.
I thought the verb sorgen meant "to worry". Why does it mean "to see to" here?
You are likely thinking of the reflexive verb sich sorgen um, which means "to worry about". Without the reflexive pronoun, the verb combination sorgen für changes meaning to "to take care of", "to see to", or "to provide for".
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the sentence?
The word dass (that) is a subordinating conjunction. It always introduces a subordinate clause, which has a specific word order rule: it kicks the conjugated verb (in this case, ist) to the very end of that clause.
Why does the sentence use alles instead of alle?
alles is an indefinite pronoun meaning "everything" (referring to abstract things or a whole situation collectively). On the other hand, alle means "everyone" or "all" (referring to specific people or countable objects). Because you are making "everything" ready, alles is the correct word.
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