Learn Hardcore German: Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio, damit meine Aussprache natürlicher und mein Akzent weicher wird. - I listen to a programme on the radio every day so that my pronunciation becomes more natural and my accent softer.

Structure
- damit: needs a full clause with a conjugated verb at the end: wird.
- um … zu: uses zu + infinitive: zu machen / zu werden, etc.
Subjects
- damit can be used when the subject of the main clause and the purpose clause is different:
  - Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio, damit du besser Deutsch verstehst.
- um … zu is only used when the subject is the same in both parts.

In this sentence, both are possible, but damit is natural and slightly more explicit about the result/purpose.

Why is the verb wird at the very end of the clause?

Because damit introduces a subordinate clause. In German subordinate clauses (introduced by dass, weil, wenn, damit, etc.), the conjugated verb goes to the final position:

… damit meine Aussprache natürlicher und mein Akzent weicher wird.
(conjugated verb wird at the end)

In a main clause, the verb would be in second position:

Mein Akzent wird weicher.

Is natürlicher here a comparative (“more natural”)? Why does it end in -er?

Yes, natürlicher is the comparative form of natürlich:

natürlich → “natural”
natürlicher → “more natural”

The same with weich → weicher (“soft” → “softer”).

In German, the comparative is usually formed by adding -er to the adjective:

schnell → schneller (fast → faster)
laut → lauter (loud → louder)

So the clause literally means:

… so that my pronunciation becomes more natural and my accent softer.

Because they are predicate adjectives (after a form of “to be” / werden), they do not take extra adjective endings like -e, -en, -em. You just use the plain comparative form:

Meine Aussprache ist natürlicher.
Mein Akzent wird weicher.

Why don’t natürlicher and weicher have endings like -e or -en?

Adjectives in German only take endings (-e, -en, -em, -er, -es) when they come directly before a noun:

eine natürliche Aussprache
ein weicher Akzent

Here, natürlicher and weicher are predicative adjectives: they come after the verb wird and describe the subject:

meine Aussprache … wird natürlicher
mein Akzent … wird weicher

Predicate adjectives in German appear without declension endings. You see the -er only because they are comparative forms, not because of case or gender.

Why is it jeden Tag and not something like jeder Tag?

Tag is masculine: der Tag.

In the phrase jeden Tag, Tag is an accusative time expression (“every day”). Jeden is the accusative singular masculine form of jeder.

Nominative: jeder Tag (subject)
Accusative: jeden Tag (time expression / object-like)

German often uses the accusative for adverbial expressions of time:

nächsten Montag (next Monday)
diesen Abend (this evening)

So Ich höre jeden Tag … = “I listen every day …”

Could I also say Ich höre eine Sendung jeden Tag im Radio? Is the word order important?

Yes, you can say:

Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio.
Ich höre eine Sendung jeden Tag im Radio.

Both are correct.

The usual guideline for German sentence structure is Time – Manner – Place:

jeden Tag (time)
eine Sendung (what you listen to / manner-like)
im Radio (place / medium)

So jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio follows that very typical pattern and sounds a bit more natural, but the alternative is still acceptable.

Why is it eine Sendung im Radio and not just Ich höre jeden Tag Radio?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

Ich höre jeden Tag Radio.
= “I listen to the radio every day.” (general habit)
Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio.
= “I listen to a (specific) program/show on the radio every day.”

eine Sendung focuses on a show/program (for example a news program, a language podcast, a talk show) that is broadcast on the radio.
Radio alone is more general: you regularly have the radio on, but not necessarily a specific show.

Why is it im Radio and not am Radio or auf dem Radio?

Im = in + dem (dative).

In German, you typically say you hear something im Radio (“in/on the radio”) for broadcasts:

Ich habe es im Radio gehört.
Die Sendung läuft im Radio.

am Radio would sound like you are physically at the device (and is uncommon in this context), and auf dem Radio would suggest something is physically on top of the radio device, which is not the meaning here.

So: im Radio is the standard expression for “on the radio” when talking about broadcasts.

What is the difference between Aussprache and Akzent in this sentence?

Aussprache = pronunciation, i.e. how clearly and correctly you produce sounds, syllables and words.
Akzent = accent, i.e. the characteristic sound of your speech that shows where you come from or that you are not a native speaker.

So:

meine Aussprache natürlicher: my pronunciation sounds more natural (fewer unnatural pauses, stress patterns more like a native speaker, etc.).
mein Akzent weicher: my foreign accent becomes less strong, less harsh, more subtle.

You can have good pronunciation but still a noticeable foreign accent, and the sentence suggests both are improving.

Why are meine Aussprache and mein Akzent in the nominative case?

In the damit-clause:

… damit meine Aussprache natürlicher und mein Akzent weicher wird.

The subject of the verb wird is the whole phrase “meine Aussprache … und mein Akzent”. Subjects take the nominative case in German, so:

meine Aussprache (feminine nominative)
mein Akzent (masculine nominative)

That’s why the possessive pronouns are meine and mein, not meiner / meinem / meinen, etc.

Why is the comma before damit necessary?

German always separates a subordinate clause from the main clause with a comma. Since damit introduces a subordinate clause of purpose, you must put a comma before it:

Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio, damit … wird.

So the comma is required by the rule “main clause , subordinate clause”.

Why is the main verb höre in the present tense if this is a regular habit?

In German, the Präsens (present tense) is used both for:

Actions happening right now
Regular habits and general truths

So:

Ich höre jetzt eine Sendung im Radio. – I am (right now) listening to a program on the radio.
Ich höre jeden Tag eine Sendung im Radio. – I listen to a program on the radio every day. (habit)

You don’t need a special tense like English “I am listening” vs. “I listen”; German Präsens covers both.