Learn Hardcore German: Die Lehrerin macht Pausen, damit die Bildschirmzeit nicht zu lang wird. - The female teacher takes breaks so that the screen time does not get too long.

Because the subordinate clause has its own subject (die Bildschirmzeit). um ... zu is only used when the purpose shares the same subject as the main clause. Alternatives:

Same subject: Die Lehrerin macht Pausen, um die Bildschirmzeit kurz zu halten.
With a content clause: Die Lehrerin macht Pausen, um zu vermeiden, dass die Bildschirmzeit zu lang wird.

Why does wird go to the end of the clause?

damit is a subordinating conjunction, so it sends the finite verb to the end of its clause: ..., damit die Bildschirmzeit nicht zu lang wird.

Why wird and not ist?

wird (“becomes”) emphasizes preventing a change over time. ist would describe a static state and feels less natural in a purpose clause. Both are grammatical, but wird fits the idea of prevention better.

Is wird a future tense here?

No. werden forms the future only with an infinitive (e.g., wird zu lang werden). Here, wird is a copular verb meaning “becomes.”

Why is nicht placed before zu lang?

It negates the adjective phrase. Pattern: nicht + adjective/adverb. You’re saying “not too long.” Placing nicht elsewhere would be ungrammatical or change the focus.

Should it be zu lang or zu lange?

Here it must be zu lang (predicate adjective after werden). Use lange as an adverb for duration:

Predicate quality: Der Text ist zu lang.
Duration: Das dauert zu lange.

Why Pausen (plural) and why no article?

Plural signals repeated/regular breaks; singular would mean one break (macht eine Pause).
Indefinite plural nouns often appear without an article when speaking generally: Sie macht Pausen. Also idiomatic: legt Pausen ein, macht öfter Pause.

Could I say nimmt Pausen?

That’s not idiomatic. Germans say eine Pause machen, Pausen machen, or eine Pause einlegen. Pause nehmen sounds odd.

What are the genders and cases of Die Lehrerin, Pausen, and die Bildschirmzeit?

Die Lehrerin: nominative singular feminine (subject).
Pausen: accusative plural (object of macht).
die Bildschirmzeit: nominative singular feminine (subject of the subordinate clause).

Why is Bildschirmzeit one word, and why feminine?

German compounds are written as one word by default. The gender is determined by the last element (Zeit, feminine), so it’s die Bildschirmzeit. A hyphen (Bildschirm-Zeit) is possible for readability but unusual here.

Do I have to put a comma before damit?

Yes. Subordinate clauses are set off by a comma in standard German: ..., damit ....

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

damit = purpose/intention (“so that” with a goal).
sodass/so dass = result/consequence (“so that/as a result”).
dass = content clause (“that”), not purpose. Example: Purpose: ..., damit die Bildschirmzeit kurz bleibt. Result: ..., sodass die Bildschirmzeit zu lang wird.

Can I start with the damit-clause?

Yes: Damit die Bildschirmzeit nicht zu lang wird, macht die Lehrerin Pausen. Keep the comma; the main clause still has verb-second word order.

Why do we need the article in Die Lehrerin? Could it be just Lehrerin?

Singular count nouns normally need an article in German. Bare nouns like “Teacher makes breaks” aren’t idiomatic. Use Die Lehrerin (definite) or Eine Lehrerin (indefinite).

Is zu lang written as one word?

No. With adjectives/adverbs, zu (“too”) is written separately: zu lang, zu groß, zu laut. (Modern spelling prefers zu viel, not zuviel.)