Learn Hardcore German: Die Anleitung wurde vereinfacht, damit alle sie verstehen. - The instructions were simplified so that everyone understands them.

Damit introduces a purpose clause: it means “so that / in order that.” It explains the intention behind simplifying the instructions. It also makes the clause subordinate, which affects word order (the finite verb goes to the end) and requires a comma before it.

Why is there a comma before damit?

Because damit starts a subordinate clause. In German, subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma.

Why is the verb verstehen at the end of the damit-clause?

Subordinate clauses in German place the finite verb at the end. Since damit introduces a subordinate clause, the verb verstehen goes to clause-final position: damit alle sie verstehen.

Why is the subordinate clause in the present tense (verstehen) when the main clause uses the past (wurde vereinfacht)?

In purpose clauses, German typically uses the present tense to describe a general or intended outcome that holds whenever relevant (here: whenever people read the instructions). English often uses “will” in such contexts, but German prefers the present: “so that everyone understands it.”

Could I use um … zu instead of damit?

Only if the subject of both clauses is the same. Here, the main clause has an implicit agent (the people who simplified it), but the purpose clause’s subject is alle (everyone who will understand). Because the subjects differ, you must use damit. With the same subject you could say:

Man hat die Anleitung vereinfacht, um sie verständlicher zu machen.
Die Anleitung wurde vereinfacht, um verständlicher zu sein.

What tense and voice is wurde vereinfacht?

It’s the process passive (Vorgangspassiv) in the simple past (Präteritum): “was simplified.” Structure: werden (wurde) + Partizip II (vereinfacht). It focuses on the action that was done to the instructions.

How is that different from ist vereinfacht or ist vereinfacht worden?

ist vereinfacht = state passive (Zustandspassiv): “is in a simplified state” (describes the condition, not the action).
ist vereinfacht worden = present perfect process passive: “has been simplified” (common in speech; heavier style).
wurde vereinfacht = simple past process passive: “was simplified” (common in writing; concise).

What does sie refer to in damit alle sie verstehen, and why is it lowercase?

sie is a feminine singular accusative pronoun referring back to die Anleitung (feminine). It’s lowercase because it’s not the formal Sie (“you”). Here it means “it” (the instructions) as a direct object of verstehen.

Could I use es instead of sie?

Not if you want to refer specifically to die Anleitung (feminine). Use sie. es could be used if you mean a vague “it” (some content or situation) with no clear feminine antecedent, e.g., damit es jeder versteht (“so that everyone understands it [the matter]”). With a clear feminine noun like Anleitung, sie is the natural choice.

What is alle doing here, and why is the verb plural (verstehen)?

alle is an indefinite pronoun meaning “everyone/all (people).” It’s the subject of the subordinate clause, so it’s nominative and triggers the plural verb verstehen.

Can I use jeder instead of alle? What changes?

Yes. jeder means “each person/everyone (singular perspective).” The verb then becomes singular:

… damit jeder sie versteht. Nuance: alle views the group as a whole; jeder emphasizes each individual.

Why not damit allen sie verstehen?

Because allen is dative plural. The subject of the clause must be nominative: alle. The object pronoun sie is accusative (direct object of verstehen). So the correct form is damit alle sie verstehen.

Would adding können change the meaning? For example, damit alle sie verstehen können.

It slightly emphasizes ability: “so that everyone can understand it.” Without können, it’s still perfectly natural and often preferred: “so that everyone understands it.” Both are fine; the version without können is more concise.

Can I front the damit-clause?

Yes: Damit alle sie verstehen, wurde die Anleitung vereinfacht. When you front a subordinate clause, the following main clause still observes verb-second word order (here: wurde comes right after the comma).

What’s the difference between damit and so dass/sodass here?

damit = intention/purpose: someone simplified it with the goal that everyone understands it.
so dass/sodass = result/consequence: it was simplified, with the result that everyone understands it. Both are often possible; damit highlights purpose, sodass highlights outcome. Example: Die Anleitung wurde vereinfacht, sodass alle sie verstehen.

Why not damit sie alle verstehen?

That word order makes sie the subject pronoun (“they”), and alle becomes the focus particle (“they all”). It reads as “so that they all understand,” which is ambiguous (who are “they”?). damit alle sie verstehen avoids this ambiguity by clearly making alle the subject and sie the object referring to die Anleitung.

What is vereinfacht morphologically?

It’s the past participle (Partizip II) of vereinfachen (“to simplify”). In the passive, it combines with werden (here: wurde) to form wurde vereinfacht.