Um eine Zeitschrift herunterzuladen, muss ich mein Passwort eingeben.

To download a magazine I have to enter my password.

Breakdown of Um eine Zeitschrift herunterzuladen, muss ich mein Passwort eingeben.

• ich: I
• müssen: must
• mein: my
• um: in order to
• die Zeitschrift: the magazine
• herunterladen: to download
• das Passwort: the password
• eingeben: to enter

Questions & Answers about Um eine Zeitschrift herunterzuladen, muss ich mein Passwort eingeben.

How do you express “in order to” in German, as in “in order to download a magazine”?

You use the um … zu construction plus an infinitive. The pattern is:
• um + [object/phrase] + zu + infinitive
In your sentence:
• Um eine Zeitschrift herunterzuladen = “In order to download a magazine.”

Where does zu go when you have a separable verb like herunterladen?

With separable verbs in an infinitive (after um … zu or a modal), zu is inserted between the prefix and the verb stem.
• Prefix: herunter
• Stem: laden
• Infinitive with zu: herunter-zu-laden → written herunterzuladen

Why is herunterzuladen at the very end of that clause?

Purpose clauses with um … zu behave like subordinate clauses: the infinitive (including its separable prefix) goes to the end of the clause.

Why do we say Um … herunterzuladen, muss ich … instead of Um … herunterzuladen, ich muss …?

In German, when a clause or phrase comes first (here the um clause), you must invert the subject and finite verb in the next clause. That’s why we get:
• muss ich (finite verb first)
and then the rest follows.

Why does einzugeben come at the very end, and why is it not split into geben … ein?

Because muss is a modal verb, the main verb eingeben stays in the infinitive and goes to the clause-final position “as a block.” In infinitive constructions (after modals or um … zu), separable prefixes are not split off.

What case is eine Zeitschrift, and why does its article look the same in nominative and accusative?

eine Zeitschrift is the direct object of herunterladen, so it’s in the accusative case.
• Zeitschrift is feminine.
• Feminine singular indefinite article is eine in both nominative and accusative.

What case is mein Passwort, and does mein change its ending?

mein Passwort is also a direct object, so it’s accusative.
• Passwort is neuter.
• Neuter singular accusative has no ending on the possessive: mein Passwort remains mein Passwort.

Can I say runterladen instead of herunterladen?

Yes. runterladen is the colloquial, shortened form of the separable verb herunterladen. In formal writing, herunterladen is preferred, but both are correct.