Breakdown of Um eine Zeitschrift herunterzuladen, muss ich mein Passwort eingeben.
ich
I
müssen
must
mein
my; (masculine or neuter, nominative)
um
in order to
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 …?