German · B1 · Family moment
Help You Grow in German
Support your child's independent homework habits with calm, practical German phrases. Use damit (“so that”) to explain how your help gives your child space to learn and try.
What you'll learn
- Offer help while encouraging your child to work independently.
- Use damit to explain the purpose of an action.
- Place the finite verb at the end of a damit clause.
- Build purpose clauses with different subjects, such as ich and du.
German phrases for help you grow
Ich räume den Tisch frei, damit du Platz für deine Hausaufgaben hast.
I am clearing the table so that you have space for your homework.
Den Tisch freiräumen means to clear the table to make space. The subject changes from ich to du, and hast ends the damit clause.
Ich lese dir die Anweisungen vor, damit du die Aufgabe verstehst.
I will read the instructions aloud so that you understand the task.
Vorlesen means to read aloud. It splits into lese ... vor in the main clause; verstehst comes last in the purpose clause.
Ich schalte das Radio aus, damit du dich konzentrieren kannst.
I am turning off the radio so that you can concentrate.
Sich konzentrieren is reflexive: du konzentrierst dich. In the damit clause, the finite modal verb kannst follows the infinitive konzentrieren.
Ich lasse die Wörterliste hier, damit du die Rechtschreibung überprüfen kannst.
I will leave the word list here so that you can check the spelling.
Hier lassen means to leave something here. The verb group überprüfen kannst comes at the end.
Ich stelle die Lampe um, damit du die Seite besser sehen kannst.
I am moving the lamp so that you can see the page better.
Die Lampe umstellen means to move the lamp to a different position. Umstellen splits into stelle ... um here.
Ich zeige dir ein Beispiel, damit du versuchen kannst, die nächste Frage selbst zu beantworten.
I will show you one example so that you can try the next question yourself.
Selbst means yourself. The damit clause ends with versuchen kannst, followed by an infinitive phrase explaining what the child can try.
Ich gebe dir etwas Zeit, damit du deine eigene Antwort finden kannst.
I am giving you some time so that you can find your own answer.
Etwas Zeit means some time. Deine eigene Antwort emphasizes that the answer is the child's own.
Zeig mir die schwierige Stelle, damit ich dir helfen kann.
Show me the difficult part so that I can help you.
Zeig is an informal singular command. The implied subject is du, but the damit clause uses ich and ends with helfen kann.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Hausaufgaben
homework
German normally uses the plural for homework: deine Hausaufgaben.
die Aufgabe
task; exercise
Useful for a piece of schoolwork or a question to work on.
die Wörterliste
word list
A list the child can consult independently.
die Rechtschreibung
spelling
Die Rechtschreibung überprüfen means to check the spelling.
selbst
yourself; independently
With du, it emphasizes that the child does the action personally.
die schwierige Stelle
the difficult part
A natural way to refer to a specific part of a text or exercise that causes difficulty.
Explaining purpose with damit
Damit introduces the intended purpose of an action and means “so that.” Separate the clauses with a comma. The main clause and purpose clause can have different subjects. When they do, use damit rather than um ... zu.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Parent acts; child benefits | ich + main-clause verb ..., damit du ... + finite verb | Ich räume den Tisch frei, damit du Platz hast. |
| Child acts; parent can help | command to the child ..., damit ich ... + finite verb | Zeig mir die Aufgabe, damit ich dir helfen kann. |
Verb placement in purpose clauses
The finite verb—the verb form that agrees with the subject—goes at the end of the damit clause. With a modal verb such as können, put the main infinitive immediately before the finite modal. A separate infinitive phrase can follow the clause.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One verb | damit + subject + other information + finite verb | damit du die Aufgabe verstehst |
| Modal verb | damit + subject + other information + infinitive + finite modal | damit du die Seite besser sehen kannst |
| Following infinitive phrase | damit du versuchen kannst, ... zu + infinitive | damit du versuchen kannst, die nächste Frage selbst zu beantworten |
Present tense for offers of help
German often uses the present tense for an action happening now or an immediate intention. In these supportive offers, ich lese or ich zeige naturally translates English “I will read” or “I will show.”
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate offer | ich + present-tense verb | Ich zeige dir ein Beispiel. |
More examples
Ich lege einen Bleistift auf den Tisch, damit du deine Antwort aufschreiben kannst.
I am putting a pencil on the table so that you can write down your answer.
Different subjects: ich provides the pencil; du writes. The verb group aufschreiben kannst comes last.
Ich warte kurz, damit du in Ruhe nachdenken kannst.
I will wait a moment so that you can think without being rushed.
In Ruhe means in peace or without disturbance. This phrase gives the child thinking time.
Lies mir deine Antwort vor, damit ich dich besser verstehe.
Read your answer aloud to me so that I understand you better.
Lies is the informal singular command form of lesen. The finite verb verstehe ends the purpose clause.