Breakdown of Sport hilft mir, gesund zu bleiben.
bleiben
to stay
mir
me
helfen
to help
gesund
healthy
der Sport
the sport
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Questions & Answers about Sport hilft mir, gesund zu bleiben.
Why is Sport used in the singular and without an article here?
In German, when you speak about an activity in general (like playing sports), you often use the noun in the singular without an article. It’s like saying “Sport” as a concept. You aren’t referring to a specific sport, just the idea of doing sport in general.
Why is mir used instead of mich or mich?
The verb helfen always takes the dative case for the person who receives the help. So you need the dative form mir (to me), not the accusative mich.
Why is there a comma before gesund zu bleiben?
In German, infinitive clauses introduced by zu are set off by a comma. Since gesund zu bleiben is an infinitive clause functioning as the object of helfen, you place a comma before it.
Why does zu bleiben come at the end of the sentence?
German main clauses follow the rule that finite verbs occupy the second position and non-finite verb forms (like zu bleiben) go to the end. Here, helfen is the finite verb in position two, so the infinitive with zu moves to the very end.
What role does gesund play, and why doesn’t it get an ending?
Here gesund is a predicative adjective describing the subject’s condition (“to stay healthy”). Predicative adjectives in German don’t take endings; they stay in their base form.
Could you drop the comma and write Sport hilft mir gesund zu bleiben?
No. Standard German requires a comma before an infinitive clause with zu whenever there’s a clear subject and verb for the main clause. Omitting it would be considered incorrect in formal writing.
Why isn’t there a zu before helfen?
Zu only belongs to the infinitive clause zu bleiben. The main verb helfen is a finite verb conjugated in the present tense and never takes zu in such constructions.
How would you translate Sport hilft mir, gesund zu bleiben word‑for‑word into English?
Literally: Sport helps me, healthy to stay.
A more natural English translation is: Sport helps me stay healthy.