Learn Hardcore German: Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus, damit sie mich nicht ständig ablenken oder das Lernen unterbrechen. - I switch off the notifications on the phone so that they do not constantly distract me or interrupt the studying.

The base verb is schalten (“to switch”), and aus- is the prefix.
In a main clause with normal word order (verb in 2nd position), the conjugated part goes in 2nd place and the prefix goes to the end of the clause:
- Infinitive: ausschalten
- Ich-Form: Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen … aus.

In a subordinate clause introduced by something like damit, the verb goes to the end, so the verb would not be split there:

… damit ich die Benachrichtigungen ausschalten kann.

So: separable verb in a main clause → schalte … aus.

What case is die Benachrichtigungen, and how can I tell?

Die Benachrichtigungen is in the accusative plural.

Why?

It is the direct object of the verb schalte aus (“to switch off something”).
Direct objects in German are normally in the accusative case.
Benachrichtigungen is plural, so:
- Nominative plural: die Benachrichtigungen
- Accusative plural: die Benachrichtigungen

The form of the article die is the same in nominative and accusative plural, so you recognize the case mainly from the sentence role:

Subject (nominative):
Die Benachrichtigungen nerven mich.
Object (accusative):
Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen aus.

Here, ich is the subject, so die Benachrichtigungen must be the object → accusative.

Why is it auf dem Handy and not auf das Handy or something like am Handy?

The prepositional phrase describes a location: “on the phone”.

auf + dative vs. accusative
- auf + dative → location (“on something, at rest”)
- auf + accusative → direction (“onto something, movement to a place”)
Here, we’re not moving anything onto the phone; we’re just talking about where the notifications are:
- auf dem Handy = on the phone (where they are) → dative
- aufs Handy (auf das Handy) would suggest movement toward the phone, which doesn’t fit here.
Why “dem”?
- das Handy is neuter.
- Dative singular neuter: dem Handy
So: auf + dem + Handy = auf dem Handy.
What about “am Handy”?
- am = an + dem.
- am Handy is often used (esp. in some regions) with meanings like “on the phone (talking)”:
  - Er ist am Handy. = He’s on the phone (using it).
- Here we specifically mean “on the device” (where the notifications appear), so auf dem Handy is more precise.

What exactly does damit mean here, and what does it do to the word order?

damit means “so that / in order that” and introduces a subordinate clause of purpose.

Meaning
- It tells us the reason or purpose of the action in the main clause:
  - Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen aus, damit …
  - I switch off the notifications so that / in order that …
Word order
- damit starts a subordinate clause.
- In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end:
  - … damit sie mich nicht ständig ablenken oder das Lernen unterbrechen.
  - Verb forms ablenken and unterbrechen are at the end of the clause.
Difference from other conjunctions
- weil = because (reason/fact), also pushes the verb to the end, but doesn’t necessarily express purpose:
  - Ich schalte sie aus, weil sie mich ablenken. (because they distract me)
- um … zu = in order to (+ infinitive), used when there is no separate subject in the subordinate clause:
  - Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen aus, um besser zu lernen.
  - You can’t use um … zu here with sie, because sie is a separate subject.

So damit introduces a purpose clause, forces verb-final word order, and lets you state a separate subject (sie).

What does sie refer to in damit sie mich nicht ständig ablenken? How do I know?

Here, sie refers to die Benachrichtigungen = the notifications.

How to tell:

Grammatical clues
- Benachrichtigungen is plural.
- The subject pronoun for plural (they) is sie.
- The verb ablenken is in the 3rd person plural form (same as infinitive, but here used as a finite plural):
  - sie lenken ab (they distract)
So we have sie … ablenken = “they distract”.
Context clues
- The only plausible plural noun earlier in the sentence is die Benachrichtigungen.
- So sie must refer back to that.

Be aware that sie can mean:

she (singular feminine)
they (plural)
you (formal) (when capitalized: Sie)

Here, agreement with Benachrichtigungen (plural) shows it is they.

Why is it mich and not mir in damit sie mich nicht ständig ablenken?

Because mich is the accusative form of “I”, and ablenken takes a direct object in the accusative.

ich = I (nominative, subject)
mich = me (accusative, direct object)
mir = me (dative, indirect object)

The verb:

jdn. ablenken = to distract someone (direct object → accusative)
- Sie lenken mich ab. = They distract me.

You would use mir with verbs that take an indirect object in dative, like helfen (helfen mir) or gehören (gehören mir), but not with ablenken.

Both ablenken and unterbrechen at the end of the clause look like infinitives. Are they really the main verbs, and why do they look like that?

Yes, they are the main verbs of the subordinate clause, and in the 3rd person plural present tense they look identical to the infinitive.

Infinitive: ablenken, unterbrechen
3rd person plural present:
- sie lenken ab → sie ablenken
- sie unterbrechen

In German, the -en form is used both for:

the infinitive and
the wir / sie (plural) / Sie (formal) present tense forms.

In the damit clause:

sie = subject
ablenken / unterbrechen = 3rd person plural present tense.

So the clause is:

sie (they) ablenken / unterbrechen (distract / interrupt)
→ “so that they don’t constantly distract me or interrupt the studying.”

The apparent “infinitive look” is just a normal feature of German conjugation in the plural.

Why is it das Lernen and not just lernen or mein Lernen?

das Lernen is a noun formed from a verb (a nominalization).

Nominalization
- The verb lernen (to study/learn) becomes a noun by:
  - Capitalizing it: Lernen
  - Adding an article: usually das (neuter)
- das Lernen ≈ “the act of studying”, “the learning”.
Why not just lernen?
- After unterbrechen, you normally need a noun or noun phrase as the object:
  - etwas unterbrechen = to interrupt something
- So you can say:
  - das Gespräch unterbrechen
  - das Lernen unterbrechen
- Pure lernen (lowercase, verb) without zu would be ungrammatical here.
Could I say “mein Lernen”?
- Yes, that’s possible:
  - … oder mein Lernen unterbrechen.
- That emphasizes that it is specifically my studying.
- das Lernen is more general, like “the studying process” (understood as mine from context).
Alternative phrasing
- Very common:
  - … damit sie mich nicht ständig beim Lernen unterbrechen.
  - Here beim = bei dem, literally “during the studying”.

In the given sentence, das Lernen is just the nominalized verb used as the object of unterbrechen.

Why is there a comma before damit?

Because damit introduces a subordinate clause, and German spelling rules require a comma before virtually all subordinate clauses.

Structure:

Main clause:
Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus,
Subordinate clause (purpose, introduced by damit):
damit sie mich nicht ständig ablenken oder das Lernen unterbrechen.

Rule:

Main clause , subordinate clause
Or: Subordinate clause , main clause

So the comma simply marks the boundary between the main clause and the damit-clause.

Can I switch the order and say Ich schalte auf dem Handy die Benachrichtigungen aus? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is still grammatically correct. German allows flexible word order as long as:

the conjugated verb is in second position in a main clause, and
the prefix (aus) stays at the end.

Both versions are fine:

Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus.
Ich schalte auf dem Handy die Benachrichtigungen aus.

The difference is mostly about emphasis:

Version 1 slightly emphasizes die Benachrichtigungen first, then locates them auf dem Handy.
Version 2 slightly emphasizes the location (“on the phone”) first, then what exactly you’re switching off.

In everyday speech, both orders are used; version 1 is very typical and maybe a bit more neutral.

Could I say Ich mache die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus instead of Ich schalte … aus?

You can hear machen … aus in colloquial German, but in this sentence schalte … aus is more natural and precise.

ausschalten is the standard verb for switching off an electronic function or device:
- den Computer ausschalten
- das Handy ausschalten
- die Benachrichtigungen ausschalten
ausmachen is also used for switching things off, especially:
- das Licht ausmachen
- den Fernseher ausmachen
- It can also mean “to arrange / to matter” in other contexts.
machen … aus with an object in between is more casual and can sound a bit sloppy in standard written German.

So:

Best in standard German here:
Ich schalte die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus.
In casual speech, you might hear:
Ich mach(e) die Benachrichtigungen auf dem Handy aus.

But for learners and in writing, schalte … aus is the recommended choice.