Learn Hardcore German: Die Lern-App speichert jede Hörübung, damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst. - The learning app saves every listening exercise so that you can later compare your learning progress.

Damit is a subordinating conjunction (like weil, dass, obwohl). In German, subordinating conjunctions send the conjugated verb to the end of their clause.

Structure:

Main clause: Die Lern-App speichert jede Hörübung,
→ verb in 2nd position (speichert)
Subordinate clause with damit: damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst.
→ subject (du), other elements (später, deinen Lernfortschritt), verbs at the end (vergleichen kannst)

Pattern:
…, damit + Subject + (other stuff) + Verb (at the end).

What is the difference between damit du … vergleichen kannst and something with um … zu?

Both express purpose, but they are used in slightly different situations.

damit introduces a full clause with its own subject and conjugated verb:
- Die App speichert jede Hörübung, damit du später vergleichen kannst.
- Subject in the purpose clause: du
um … zu introduces a non-finite construction (no subject, no conjugated verb):
- Die App speichert jede Hörübung, um später deinen Lernfortschritt zu vergleichen.
- The subject of um … zu is automatically the same as the subject of the main clause.

In your sentence, damit makes the user very explicit (du), and the structure vergleichen kannst stresses ability (can compare), not just the bare action vergleichen.

Why is it jede Hörübung and not jeder Hörübung or jedes Hörübung?

Because Übung is a feminine noun:

die Übung (the exercise)
die Hörübung (the listening exercise)

The word jede has to match the gender, number, and case of the noun:

Feminine singular, nominative: jede Übung
Feminine singular, accusative: also jede Übung

In the sentence, jede Hörübung is feminine singular accusative (direct object of speichert), and its form is jede.

jeder = masculine or feminine dative, or feminine genitive in some contexts
jedes = neuter singular nominative/accusative

So only jede fits here.

What case is deinen Lernfortschritt, and why is it deinen?

Deinen Lernfortschritt is in the accusative case as the direct object of vergleichen.

The noun Fortschritt is masculine: der Fortschritt
The compound Lernfortschritt keeps that gender: der Lernfortschritt

The possessive dein has to agree with a masculine accusative noun:

Masculine nominative: dein Lernfortschritt
Masculine accusative: deinen Lernfortschritt

Since you are comparing what? → deinen Lernfortschritt, you need the accusative form deinen.

Why do we say vergleichen kannst instead of just vergleichst?

There are two separate points here:

Modal verb:
- können (can, to be able to) is used: du kannst vergleichen → you can compare / you are able to compare.
- Saying only du vergleichst would mean you compare, without the idea of ability / possibility.
Word order with a modal verb in a subordinate clause:
- In German, with a modal verb, the main verb (infinitive) comes before the modal verb at the end:
  - … damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst.
    infinitive (vergleichen) + conjugated modal (kannst)

So:

Main clause, normal order: Du kannst später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen.
Subordinate clause with damit: …, damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst.

Why is Lern-App written with a hyphen and capitalized?

German loves compound nouns. Here:

lernen (to learn) → the stem Lern- is used like an adjective in front of nouns
die App (the app, from English)

Combined: die Lernapp or die Lern-App.

Writing with a hyphen (Lern-App) is very common, especially when one part is a foreign word like App. It makes the compound easier to read. Both parts are written as one conceptual noun, so the whole thing is capitalized.

Article and gender come from App: die App → die Lern-App (feminine).

What exactly is Hörübung, and why is it one word?

Again, it’s a compound noun:

hören (to listen) → Hör- as a prefix (related to listening/hearing)
die Übung (the exercise)

Together: die Hörübung = a listening exercise.

In German, these are usually written as one word, not separated:

Hörübung (not Hör Übung)
Lernfortschritt (not Lern Fortschritt)

All nouns (and their compounds) are capitalized: die Hörübung, die Hörübungen (plural).

Why is du used instead of Sie? Could you also say … damit Sie später Ihren Lernfortschritt vergleichen können?

Yes, you could.

du is the informal singular you, used for:
- friends, family
- children
- and in modern marketing / apps addressing users personally
Sie is the formal you, used for:
- strangers
- official communication
- polite or professional situations

So:

Informal (as in many apps):
…, damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst.
Formal:
…, damit Sie später Ihren Lernfortschritt vergleichen können.

The sentence you have is written in a friendly, informal, user-focused style, which is very common in apps.

Can the position of später change? For example, is damit du deinen Lernfortschritt später vergleichen kannst also correct?

Yes, that is also correct. In German, adverbs like später are relatively flexible in position.

Both of these are grammatically fine:

…, damit du später deinen Lernfortschritt vergleichen kannst.
…, damit du deinen Lernfortschritt später vergleichen kannst.

The meaning is practically the same. Very subtle differences:

Version 1 slightly emphasizes when you do the action (später comes after du).
Version 2 slightly emphasizes when you compare the progress (später closer to vergleichen).

In everyday language, they are interchangeable here.

Why is the present tense used (speichert, kannst vergleichen) even though the action is in the future (“later”)?

German, like English, often uses the present tense for future events when the context makes the time clear.

Die Lern-App speichert jede Hörübung,
→ This describes a general behavior of the app (what it does, in general or regularly).
…, damit du später … vergleichen kannst.
→ später already indicates that the comparing will happen in the future.

You could use the future tense (wird speichern, wirst vergleichen), but it would sound heavier and is usually unnecessary here. The simple present with a time expression (später) is very natural.

Why is it Lernfortschritt and not something like Fortschritt beim Lernen? Are both possible?

Both are possible, but they sound different:

Lernfortschritt is a compact compound noun:
- literally “learning-progress”
- very common and natural in educational contexts
- concise and feels like a technical term
Fortschritt beim Lernen:
- more descriptive: “progress in (the act of) learning”
- absolutely correct but longer and less compact

So:

deinen Lernfortschritt = your learning progress
deinen Fortschritt beim Lernen = your progress in learning

In an app UI sentence, the compound Lernfortschritt is shorter and more typical.

Why jede Hörübung (singular) and not alle Hörübungen (plural)? Would Die Lern-App speichert alle Hörübungen also work?

Yes, Die Lern-App speichert alle Hörübungen is correct and means:

The learning app saves all listening exercises.

The nuance:

jede Hörübung focuses on each individual exercise:
- every single one is saved
- emphasizes that none are missed
alle Hörübungen focuses on the whole set:
- the app saves the entire collection of exercises

In many contexts, they’re close in meaning; the choice is mostly stylistic. Here, jede Hörübung matches the idea that the app consistently saves each exercise as you do it.