Learn Hardcore German: Die Lehrerin bittet mich, den Text zweimal vorzulesen, damit auch die hinten alles verstehen. - The teacher asks me to read the text aloud twice so that even those in the back understand everything.

bitten = to ask someone to do something (a request)
- Pattern: jemanden bitten, etwas zu tun
  - Die Lehrerin bittet mich, den Text vorzulesen.
    = The teacher asks me to read the text (aloud).
fragen = to ask someone a question or for information
- Pattern: jemanden fragen, jemanden etwas fragen, jemanden nach etwas fragen
  - Die Lehrerin fragt mich, ob ich den Text verstehe.
    = The teacher asks me whether I understand the text.

So bittet mich, … vorzulesen is correct because the teacher is making a request, not asking for information.

Why is mich in the accusative case after bittet?

The verb bitten takes a direct object in the accusative: you “ask someone” in the sense of requesting.

Basic pattern: jemanden (Akkusativ) bitten
- Ich bitte dich. – I ask you / I’m asking you (for a favor).
- Sie bittet mich. – She asks me (for something / to do something).

In the sentence:

Die Lehrerin bittet mich, den Text … vorzulesen …

mich is the accusative object: whom does she ask? → me.

Why is there a comma before den Text zweimal vorzulesen?

In German, a zu‑infinitive clause that depends on a verb is usually separated by a comma.

Pattern:

jemanden bitten, etwas zu tun
(ask someone to do something)

Here:

Die Lehrerin bittet mich, den Text zweimal vorzulesen, …

The part den Text zweimal vorzulesen is an infinitive clause (Infinitivsatz) functioning as the object of bittet mich (“asks me to read the text twice”), so German spelling rules require a comma before it.

How does the zu‑infinitive with the separable verb vorlesen work? Why vorzulesen and not zu vorlesen?

vorlesen is a separable verb:

Infinitive: vorlesen
Present: ich lese vor (prefix goes to the end)
Past: ich las vor

With zu‑infinitives, zu goes between the prefix and the verb stem and they are written as one word:

vorlesen → vorzulesen
aufmachen → aufzumachen
anrufen → anzurufen

So:

Correct: … den Text zweimal vorzulesen …
Incorrect: … den Text zweimal zu vorlesen …

That’s the standard rule: prefix + zu + verb written together.

What is the difference between lesen and vorlesen, and why is vorlesen used here?

lesen = to read (for yourself, silently or in general)
- Ich lese ein Buch. – I’m reading a book.
vorlesen = to read aloud to someone else (to “read out”)
- Die Lehrerin liest den Schülern den Text vor.
  – The teacher reads the text aloud to the students.

In this sentence, the teacher wants the text to be heard by the people sitting in the back, so vorlesen (read aloud) is the natural choice:

den Text … vorzulesen = to read the text aloud.

Where can zweimal go in this sentence? Is den Text zweimal vorzulesen the only correct order?

zweimal is an adverb of frequency/number (twice). In the zu‑infinitive group, several positions are possible and idiomatic:

… bittet mich, den Text zweimal vorzulesen, … (most neutral)
… bittet mich, den Text vorzulesen, und zwar zweimal, … (more emphatic)
… bittet mich, zweimal den Text vorzulesen, … (possible, slightly marked emphasis on “twice”)

However, you cannot split zu from the verb or disturb the verb cluster:

✔ … den Text zweimal vorzulesen
✘ … den Text zu zweimal vorlesen
✘ … zweimal den Text zu vorlesen

So the given version is very natural, but a small variation like zweimal den Text vorzulesen is also grammatically fine, just with slightly different rhythm/emphasis.

What does damit mean here, and how is it different from um … zu or so dass?

Here damit introduces a purpose clause: “so that / in order that …”.

damit auch die hinten alles verstehen
= “so that the ones in the back also understand everything.”

Differences:

damit
- Connects two clauses; the verb goes to the end:
  - Ich lese laut, damit alle mich hören.
- Typically used when the subject can be different in each clause:
  - Ich lese laut, damit sie mich hören. (I vs. they)
um … zu (+ infinitive)
- More compact, no finite verb:
  - Ich lese laut, um von allen gehört zu werden.
- Usually used when the subject is the same in both parts:
  - Ich lese laut, um besser zu verstehen. (I read, in order to understand better – same subject “I”)
so dass
- Often stresses the result, not the intention:
  - Ich lese sehr leise, so dass sie mich kaum hören.
    = as a result they can hardly hear me.
- Can sometimes overlap with damit, but damit is more clearly “on purpose”.

In your sentence, damit is good because it expresses purpose (“in order that they can understand”).

What exactly does die hinten mean? Why is there only die without a noun?

die hinten literally means “those (people) at the back”.

Details:

die here is not an article but a pronoun, replacing a noun understood from context, like “students”, “people”, etc.
hinten is an adverb meaning “in the back / at the back”.

So:

die hinten ≈ die (Leute/Schüler) hinten
= the ones sitting/standing in the back.

German often drops the actual noun when it’s clear:

die Kleinen = the little ones (children)
die Jungen = the young (people)

Here: die hinten = “the ones who are sitting at the back of the classroom”.

Why is it die hinten alles verstehen and not die hinten alles versteht?

The verb form depends on whether die is singular or plural.

As an article: die can be feminine singular (die Frau) or plural (die Frauen).
Here die is a pronoun meaning “those (people)”, clearly plural.

So the subject is plural, and the verb must be 3rd person plural:

die hinten → verstehen
(they understand)

If it were a singular subject, you would see versteht:

die Frau hinten versteht alles. – The woman in the back understands everything.

In your sentence, die hinten obviously refers to multiple people (e.g., several students at the back), so verstehen is correct.

Why is it alles and not alle or es? What does alles refer to?

alles = everything (neuter singular, used for things in general)
alle = everyone / all (people or countable items, plural)
es = it (a specific thing)

Here, alles refers to the entire content of the text being read:

… damit auch die hinten alles verstehen.
= so that those in the back understand everything (all of it).

Using es would mean “so that they understand it”, i.e., the text as one whole object (also possible in principle), but alles emphasizes understanding all the details/content.

alle would be wrong here, because your object is not people, but the content (“everything”).

Could you also say damit auch alle hinten alles verstehen instead of damit auch die hinten alles verstehen? Is that more natural?

Yes, damit auch alle hinten alles verstehen is also correct and sounds very natural.

Nuance:

die hinten = those in the back (as a specific group, “the ones at the back”).
alle hinten = everyone who is (sitting) in the back, with a slight emphasis on everyone.

Both are idiomatic; alle hinten makes the idea of “everyone back there” slightly more explicit.
The position of auch is also fine as given:

damit auch die hinten alles verstehen
damit auch alle hinten alles verstehen

Both mean “so that those in the back also understand everything.”

The verb bittet is in the present tense. Does it mean “is asking” now or “will ask”? Could you say wird mich bitten instead?

German Präsens (present tense) can cover:

Present actions:
- Die Lehrerin bittet mich jetzt.
  – The teacher is asking me now.
Near future / scheduled future:
- Morgen bittet sie mich, den Text vorzulesen.
  – Tomorrow she will ask me to read the text.

English often uses “will ask” for the future, but German is happy with the simple present in many future contexts.

You can say wird mich bitten, but that sounds more like a deliberately emphasized or slightly more formal future:

Die Lehrerin wird mich bitten, den Text vorzulesen.
= The teacher will (at some point) ask me to read the text.

In most everyday contexts, bittet mich is enough, even if the action is in the near future.