Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten, um Strom zu sparen.

We make sure to switch off the power strip in the evening in order to save electricity.

Breakdown of Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten, um Strom zu sparen.

• wir: we
• um...zu: in order to
• sparen: to save
• abends: in the evening
• der Strom: the electricity
• ausschalten: to switch off
• die Steckdosenleiste: the power strip
• darauf achten: to make sure

Questions & Answers about Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten, um Strom zu sparen.

Why is wir achten darauf used instead of something like wir achten das?

In this meaning, achten always needs the preposition auf:

• auf etwas achten = to pay attention to something / to make sure about something

When you replace auf + das with a pronoun, German often uses a pronominal adverb:

• auf + das → darauf

So:

• Wir achten darauf, … ≈ “We make sure to … / We pay attention to …”

You cannot say wir achten das here; that sounds wrong in German. The object of achten must be expressed with auf (→ darauf in this case).

What exactly does darauf refer to in this sentence?

Darauf refers to the whole action in the infinitive clause that follows:

• darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten

So literally:

• Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten
  = “We pay attention to (the fact/act of) switching off the power strip in the evening.”

Darauf is a placeholder that points forward to the infinitive phrase die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten.

Could I also say Wir achten darauf, dass wir die Steckdosenleiste abends ausschalten? Is there a difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct too:

• Wir achten darauf, dass wir die Steckdosenleiste abends ausschalten.

Differences in nuance:

• darauf, die Steckdosenleiste … auszuschalten
  – infinitive construction, compact, slightly more neutral/formal.

• darauf, dass wir die Steckdosenleiste … ausschalten
  – dass‑clause, more explicit, slightly more colloquial in everyday speech.

Meaning-wise they’re very close: both mean “We make sure that we switch off the power strip in the evening.”

What does Wir achten darauf actually mean in normal English? Is it just “we pay attention”?

In this context the most natural English equivalents are:

• “We make sure to switch off …”
• “We are careful to switch off …”

A very literal translation “We pay attention to switching off the power strip in the evening” is understandable but sounds a bit awkward in everyday English. The idea is a habitual, conscious effort, not just noticing something.

Why is there a comma before die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten?

Because die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten is an infinitive clause that is “announced” by darauf.

German comma rule:
You must use a comma before an infinitive group when it is:

• introduced or announced by a word like darauf, daran, es, etc., or
• introduced by um, ohne, statt, anstatt, außer, als.

Here, darauf points forward to the infinitive group, so the comma is obligatory:

• Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten, …

Why is it die Steckdosenleiste? What gender and case is this, and what does the word literally mean?

• Steckdosenleiste is feminine: die Steckdosenleiste.
• Here it is in the accusative singular, because it is the direct object of ausschalten (to switch off).

Literal structure:

• die Steckdose = the power socket
• die Leiste = strip, bar
• die Steckdosenleiste = “power-socket strip” → power strip / extension strip

So grammatically:

• die Steckdosenleiste (Nom./Acc. singular, feminine) as the thing being switched off.

Why is the word order die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten and not abends die Steckdosenleiste auszuschalten?

Both word orders are actually possible inside the infinitive clause:

• die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten
• abends die Steckdosenleiste auszuschalten

In German, adverbs of time like abends are flexible in position. In this sentence, putting die Steckdosenleiste first keeps the object close to its verb auszuschalten, which is quite natural.

The main fixed point is that the infinitive with zu (auszuschalten) must go at the end of the clause. Everything else (time, object) can come before it in different orders.

Why is the verb ausschalten written as auszuschalten here?

Ausschalten is a separable verb:

• finite form in main clause: wir schalten … aus
• infinitive: ausschalten

When you add zu to a separable verb, zu goes between the prefix and the stem:

• aus + schalten → auszuschalten

So you do not say zu ausschalten, but auszuschalten.
Examples:

• anziehen → anzuziehen
• aufstehen → aufzustehen
• einschalten → einzuschalten

Why is it abends and not am Abend?

Both exist, but they differ in nuance:

• abends = in the evenings, at night in general (habitually, regularly)

  • Wir schalten abends die Steckdosenleiste aus.
    → “We switch off the power strip in the evenings (as a routine).”

• am Abend = on/at that evening, or a specific evening

  • Wir schalten am Abend die Steckdosenleiste aus.
    → more like “in the evening” on a particular day or time frame.

In your sentence, abends emphasizes a regular habit.

In um Strom zu sparen, what does um … zu mean, and why is it used?

Um … zu introduces a purpose clause:

• um Strom zu sparen = “in order to save electricity”

Structure:

• um
  • infinitive with zu → expresses the goal/purpose of the action in the main clause.

So:

• Wir achten darauf, … auszuschalten, um Strom zu sparen.
  = “We make sure to switch off the power strip in the evening in order to save electricity.”

Could I say Wir achten darauf, die Steckdosenleiste abends auszuschalten, damit wir Strom sparen instead of um Strom zu sparen?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• …, damit wir Strom sparen.

Differences:

• um … zu

  • same subject as the main clause is implied.
  • more compact and slightly more formal.

• damit + clause

  • explicitly shows the subject (wir).
  • also used when the subject is different from the main clause.

Here both subjects are wir, so both are possible.
Meaning is almost the same: expressing purpose.

Why is Strom used without an article? Why not den Strom?

Strom here is a mass noun used in a general sense, like “water” or “air”. When talking about saving electricity as a general resource, German often omits the article:

• Strom sparen = to save electricity (in general)

Using den Strom sparen would sound like you are talking about some specific, limited amount of electricity, which is unusual in this context. The idiomatic expression is Strom sparen, without an article.

What tense is wir achten and what aspect does it express here?

Wir achten is present tense (Präsens).

In German, the present tense is used both for actions happening now and for regular/habitual actions. Here it expresses a habit:

• Wir achten darauf, …
  = “We (always/regularly) make sure to …”

There is no separate “present progressive” form like in English (“we are making sure to …”); German just uses the simple present.