Learn Hardcore German: Ich kümmere mich um das Essen, damit sie sich ausruhen kann. - I take care of the food so that she can rest.

Because the idiomatic verb is sich kümmern um (to take care of/attend to). Without the reflexive pronoun, kümmern changes meaning to “to concern/affect” as in Das kümmert mich nicht (That doesn’t concern/bother me). So you must say Ich kümmere mich um ….

What case does um take here, and is das Essen correct?

um governs the accusative, so um das Essen is correct (not “um dem Essen”). You can also use the contraction ums Essen in everyday speech.

What exactly does Ich kümmere mich um das Essen mean?

It means “I’ll take charge of the food/the meal.” It’s vague on purpose and can cover cooking, ordering, setting up, plating, etc. If you specifically mean cooking, say Ich koche. If you’ll procure it, Ich besorge das Essen. If you’ll plate/arrange it, Ich richte das Essen an.

Can I say Ich kümmere um das Essen without mich?

No. With this meaning you need the reflexive: Ich kümmere mich um das Essen. Non‑reflexive kümmern means “to concern/affect” (e.g., Das kümmert mich nicht).

Why is it um das Essen and not für das Essen with kümmern?

With sich kümmern you use um. If you want to use für, choose a different verb: für etwas sorgen (to provide for something) → Ich sorge für das Essen.

What does damit do in this sentence?

damit introduces a purpose clause (“so that/in order that”). It explains the intended result of the first clause: I’m handling the food so that she can rest.

Why is the word order sie sich ausruhen kann and not sie kann sich ausruhen?

Because damit is a subordinating conjunction. In subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end. With a modal, the order is: subject + objects/particles + infinitive + modal → sie sich ausruhen kann.

Could I say damit sie kann sich ausruhen?

No. In subordinate clauses the finite verb goes last, so it must be damit sie sich ausruhen kann.

Why is ausruhen not split (ruhen … aus) here?

ausruhen is separable in main clauses: Sie ruht sich aus. With a modal or in subordinate clauses, the infinitive stays intact: Sie kann sich ausruhen; …, damit sie sich ausruhen kann.

Do I always need sich with ausruhen?

For “to rest (oneself)” in standard German, yes: sich ausruhen. Without sich is nonstandard. There’s also ruhen (to be at rest), which is different: Der See ruht.

What’s the difference between damit sie sich ausruht and damit sie sich ausruhen kann?

… damit sie sich ausruht: purpose is that she actually rests.
… damit sie sich ausruhen kann: purpose is to enable/allow her to rest (emphasizes opportunity/ability). Both are fine; the nuance differs slightly.

Can I use um … zu instead of damit here?

Not with the same meaning, because um … zu must share the subject with the main clause. Ich kümmere mich …, um sich auszuruhen would incorrectly say that I rest. To keep “she” as the one resting, use damit. You can rephrase with same-subject purpose: …, um ihr das Ausruhen zu ermöglichen or …, um ihr eine Pause zu geben.

Who is sie here—she, they, or formal you?

Lowercase sie plus singular kann means “she.” Plural “they” would be können. Formal “you” is Sie (capitalized).

Can I start the sentence with the damit clause?

Yes: Damit sie sich ausruhen kann, kümmere ich mich um das Essen. The meaning stays the same; the style becomes a bit more formal/emphatic.

Is the comma before damit required?

Yes. Subordinate clauses introduced by damit must be separated by a comma.

Is Essen a noun here, and why is it capitalized?

Yes. das Essen is a noun (either “the food” or “the meal”). All German nouns are capitalized. The verb essen (to eat) is lowercase.

What’s the difference between sich kümmern um and sorgen für or sich sorgen um?

sich kümmern um: to take care of/handle/attend to something.
für etwas sorgen: to provide for, ensure something is taken care of.
sich sorgen um: to worry about someone/something (emotional concern), not to handle it.

Why is it mich and not mir after kümmern?

The reflexive pronoun is accusative here: mich. sich kümmern takes the accusative reflexive pronoun (ich → mich, du → dich, er/sie/es → sich, wir → uns, ihr → euch, sie/Sie → sich).

Can I contract um das to ums?

Yes. ums Essen is common in everyday speech: Ich kümmere mich ums Essen.

How would I negate the main clause?

Place nicht in the middle field, typically before the prepositional phrase: Ich kümmere mich nicht um das Essen. (Note that adding the purpose clause after that would change the meaning pragmatically: “I’m not taking care of the food so that she can rest” sounds odd. Usually you’d negate a different element or rephrase the purpose.)

Can I replace sie with a name?

Yes: …, damit Anna sich ausruhen kann. The reflexive sich stays, because it agrees with the third-person subject of that clause (Anna).