Learn Hardcore German: Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.

In German, dass is a subordinating conjunction. It introduces a subordinate clause (Nebensatz) and pushes the conjugated verb to the end of that clause.

Main clause: Ich hoffe, … (verb in 2nd position: hoffe)
Subordinate clause: …, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht. (verb at the end: kaputtgeht)

The comma must separate the main clause from the subordinate clause:

Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht. ✔️

What is the difference between dass and das?

They sound the same but have different functions and spellings:

dass (with ss) = subordinating conjunction, like English “that”:
- Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
- I hope that my phone doesn’t break.
das (with s) = article or pronoun (like “the / that / which”):
- das Handy = the phone (article)
- Das ist mein Handy. = That is my phone. (pronoun)

Rule of thumb:
If you can replace it with “this / that / which” in English, it’s usually das.
If you can replace it with “in order that / so that / that” connecting clauses, it’s dass.

Why is kaputtgeht written as one word here, but I’ve seen geht kaputt elsewhere?

kaputtgehen is a separable verb (trennbares Verb):

Infinitive: kaputtgehen
Prefix/particle: kaputt
Verb stem: gehen

In a main clause (normal word order), the finite verb is in 2nd position and the separable part goes to the end:

Mein Handy geht kaputt.
(geht in 2nd position, kaputt at the end)

In a subordinate clause (after dass, etc.), the whole verb moves to the end and is written together:

…, dass mein Handy kaputtgeht.

So:

main clause: geht kaputt
subordinate clause: kaputtgeht (one word)
infinitive / dictionary: kaputtgehen
past participle: kaputtgegangen

Why is nicht placed before kaputtgeht and not somewhere else?

In this sentence, nicht negates the whole idea of “going kaputt” (breaking).

Structure of the subordinate clause:

dass – conjunction
mein Handy – subject
nicht – negation
kaputtgeht – verb (event of breaking)

So:

…, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
= that my phone does not break.

If you move nicht, you change or distort the meaning:

…, dass nicht mein Handy kaputtgeht.
= that it’s not my phone that breaks (but something else). (contrastive emphasis)

Forms like:

… dass mein Handy kaputt nicht geht. ❌
…are simply incorrect. The natural position here is before the verb phrase it negates: nicht kaputtgeht.

Why is it mein Handy, not meine Handy?

Handy is a neuter noun in German:

das Handy (the phone)

Possessive pronouns agree in gender and number:

Masculine: mein Hund (my dog)
Feminine: meine Katze (my cat)
Neuter: mein Handy (my phone)
Plural: meine Handys (my phones)

So with the neuter noun Handy in the nominative singular, you say:

mein Handy ✔️ not meine Handy ❌

Does Handy really mean “handy” (useful) in German?

No. Handy in German is a false friend.

das Handy = mobile phone, cell phone, smartphone
It does not mean “handy” in the English sense of useful / convenient.

So mein Handy = my cell phone / my mobile, not my handy (useful thing).

Can I leave out dass and say: Ich hoffe, mein Handy geht nicht kaputt?

Yes, that’s also grammatically correct:

Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht. ✔️ (with dass)
Ich hoffe, mein Handy geht nicht kaputt. ✔️ (no dass)

Differences:

With dass: a bit more explicitly structured and often slightly more formal or careful in writing.
Without dass: feels more colloquial / conversational.

In both versions, you must keep the comma in standard writing, because there are two clauses with two finite verbs (hoffe, geht).

Why is it geht (present tense) if I’m talking about something that might happen in the future?

German often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when it’s about general expectation or possibility:

Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
Literally: I hope that my phone does not break.
Naturally understood as “…won’t break (in the future)”.

You can use the future tense:

Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgehen wird.
= I hope that my phone will not break.

But in everyday German, the present tense version is more common and sounds more natural unless you really want to stress the futurity or make a prediction.

What is the difference between kaputtgeht and kaputt ist?

kaputtgeht (from kaputtgehen) describes the event of breaking:
- Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
  = I hope my phone doesn’t break (at some point).
kaputt ist describes the state of already being broken:
- Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputt ist.
  = I hope my phone isn’t broken (now).

So:

kaputtgeht → focus on the process / future event of breaking.
kaputt ist → focus on the current condition of the phone.

Why don’t we say Ich hoffe es, dass …?

In German, you have two typical options:

Use “hoffen” + clause:
- Ich hoffe, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
Use “hoffen” + es when the content is clear from context:
- Wird dein Handy repariert? — Ich hoffe es.
  Will your phone be repaired? — I hope so.

But you don’t combine them in one sentence:

Ich hoffe es, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht. ❌ (unnatural / wrong)

Choose either:

Ich hoffe, dass … (and say what you hope) or
Ich hoffe es. (if it’s already clear what “it” is)

Could the word order be Ich hoffe, dass nicht mein Handy kaputtgeht?

Yes, that’s grammatically possible, but it changes the emphasis:

…, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.
= neutral: that my phone doesn’t break.
…, dass nicht mein Handy kaputtgeht.
= contrastive: that it’s *not my phone that breaks (but maybe something else).*

So “nicht mein Handy” emphasizes mein Handy as the thing you exclude from breaking. In normal, neutral speech, you would keep:

…, dass mein Handy nicht kaputtgeht.

Why is Handy capitalized?

In German, all nouns are capitalized.

das Handy – the phone → noun → capital H
mein Handy – my phone → noun → capital H
ich, mein, nicht, dass, kaputtgeht → pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions, verb → all lowercase (except Ich at sentence start)

So Handy is capitalized simply because it’s a noun.