Learn Hardcore German: Für die Alten bauen wir eine Bank aus Holz, damit sie das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten können. - For the elderly we build a bench out of wood so that they can watch the chaotic things in the garden in a relaxed way.

Die Alten is capitalized because an adjective (alt) is being used as a noun. In German, when you turn an adjective into a noun (a substantiviertes Adjektiv), it gets a capital letter.

die Alten literally = the old ones → idiomatically: the old people / the elderly
It doesn’t mean “the old things” here; in this context it clearly refers to people.

Why „die Alten“ and not something like „die alte Leute“?

You can say die alten Leute, but:

die Alten is shorter and sounds a bit more idiomatic, somewhat like English the elderly.
Grammatically:
- die alten Leute = adjective + noun (old people)
- die Alten = adjective used as a noun (the old [ones])

Both are correct; die Alten is just more compact and stylistically a bit different.

Why is it „Für die Alten“ (with die Alten in the accusative)?

The preposition für in German always takes the accusative case.

für + Akkusativ:
- für den Mann
- für die Frau
- für die Kinder
- für die Alten

So die Alten here is in the accusative because it follows für, not because it is the subject of the sentence.
The actual subject is wir (bauen wir ...).

Why is the word order „bauen wir“ and not „wir bauen“?

German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position in the sentence.

The sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Für die Alten. That entire phrase counts as position 1.
Therefore the verb must come next:

Für die Alten → slot 1
bauen → slot 2 (finite verb)
wir → slot 3 (subject)

If you start with the subject, you get the “neutral” word order:

Wir bauen für die Alten eine Bank aus Holz, …

Both versions are correct; fronting Für die Alten adds emphasis: For the elderly, we are building a bench…

How do I know that „Bank“ here means bench and not bank (the financial institution)?

Context tells you:

eine Bank aus Holz = a bank made of wood
→ a financial bank isn’t made of wood; a bench can be.
In German, die Bank can mean:
- die Bank (f.) = bench
- die Bank (f.) = bank (financial institution)

Only the context disambiguates. Here, out of wood clearly points to bench.

Why is it „aus Holz“ and not „von Holz“ or „mit Holz“?

In German, to say something is made of a material, you almost always use aus:

aus Holz – made of wood
aus Metall – made of metal
aus Glas – made of glass

von Holz is incorrect in this sense.
mit Holz = with wood (e.g. We decorate the room with wood), not made of wood.

So eine Bank aus Holz = a bench made of wood.

What is the function of „damit“ in this sentence?

damit introduces a subordinate clause of purpose: so that / in order that.

…, damit sie das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten können.
→ …, so that they can calmly observe the chaotic things in the garden.

Key points:

damit = so that / in order that
It is used especially when the subject of the main clause and the subordinate clause can be different (or at least separate).
It triggers subordinate clause word order (verb at the end).

What’s the difference between „damit“ and „um … zu“ here?

Both express purpose, but:

um … zu + Infinitiv is used when the subject is the same in both clauses:
- Wir bauen eine Bank, um das Chaotische zu beobachten.
  (We build a bench in order to observe the chaotic [things].)
damit + finite clause is used when the subject can be different, or when you simply choose a finite clause:
- Wir bauen eine Bank, damit sie das Chaotische beobachten können.
  (Subjects: wir vs. sie → different.)

In your sentence, damit is the natural choice, because wir (builders) and sie (the elderly) are different groups.

Why is the verb at the end in „damit sie das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten können“?

Because damit introduces a subordinate clause, and in standard German subordinate clauses the finite verb goes to the end.

Structure:

damit – subordinator
sie – subject
das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten – non-finite part
können – finite verb at the very end

So you get:
damit sie … beobachten können.

In main clauses: sie können … beobachten.
In subordinate clauses: …, damit sie … beobachten können.

Why do we say „beobachten können“ and not something like „können beobachten“ at the end?

In a subordinate clause with more than one verb, the typical order is:

Non-finite verb(s) (infinitives, participles)
Finite verb (the conjugated one) last

So:

… damit sie das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten können.

Order at the end:

beobachten (infinitive)
können (finite modal verb) → final position

In a main clause, you would say:

Sie können das Chaotische im Garten entspannt beobachten.
(finite verb in second position → können, infinitive at the end → beobachten)

What does „das Chaotische“ mean, and why is it capitalized?

das Chaotische comes from the adjective chaotisch (chaotic).
Like die Alten, this is also a substantiviertes Adjektiv → an adjective turned into a noun, so it’s capitalized.

das Chaotische ≈ the chaotic things / the chaos-like stuff / whatever is chaotic there

The article „das“ makes it neuter singular. It doesn’t have to refer to a specific noun; it’s a general way to package the idea “everything that is chaotic (there)” into a noun.

Why is it „im Garten“ and not „in dem Garten“?

im is simply the contracted form of in dem:

in + dem → im

So:

im Garten = in dem Garten (dative)

We use dative with in when it describes a location (where?), not a direction (where to?).

Wo? → im Garten (location, dative)
Wohin? → in den Garten (direction, accusative)

What is „entspannt“ doing here, and why doesn’t it change form?

entspannt functions as an adverb here, describing how they observe:

entspannt beobachten = to observe in a relaxed way / calmly observe

In German, most adjectives and adverbs have the same form:

ein entspannter Mann (adjective, declined)
Sie fühlt sich entspannt. (predicative)
Sie beobachten entspannt. (adverb)

Adverbs in German don’t take endings; they stay in the basic form: entspannt.