Zu + Infinitiv : eine Erklärung Today we will learn a little about infinitive phrases in German. These exist in English as well. Take a look at these examples. Sie hat keine Zeit zu lesen. She has no time to read. Er hat vergessen, seine Hausaufgaben zu machen. He has forgotten to do his homework.

Er muss nach Hause gehen. One possible confusion with English is because in English, we use a “to” with some modal verbs, but German does not. Ich will tanzen. (no zu) I want to dance. Er muss nach Hause gehen. He has to go home.

Das ist leicht zu verstehen. Infinitive clauses can provide additional information or they can substitute for a Subject or object in a sentence. If your infinitive clause has a direct or indirect object, make sure to put it in the proper case. Das ist leicht zu verstehen. Es macht mir viel Spaß, mit dir zu tanzen. Ich habe Lust, diesen Film zu sehen. Es ist schwer, dir zu helfen. Ich habe vor, meiner Schwester den Mantel zu geben. That is easy to understand. It is a lot of fun for me to dance with you. I would like to see this film. It is difficult to help you. I intend, to give my sister the coat.

It is easy / difficult to….. Infinitive Clauses often appear in common phrases…. Es macht Spaß…… Es ist leicht / schwer…. Ich habe Lust….. It is fun to….. It is easy / difficult to….. I want to / I feel like…..

Ich soll nicht vergessen, dich anzurufen. With separable prefix verbs, everything gets put together into one word. Ich soll nicht vergessen, dich anzurufen. Hast du vergessen, mich abzuholen? Es ist schwer das auszumachen. anrufen I should not forget to call you. abholen Have you forgotten to pick me up? ausmachen It is difficult to turn that off.

Special Constructions with Infinitive Phrases um….zu = in order to This construction is used more often in German than in English. In German it is proceeded by a comma. Sie lernt Deutch, um die Sprache zu verstehen. Ich habe studiert, um eine gute Note zu bekommen. Ich spiele Fussball, um besser zu werden. She learns German in order to understand the language. I have studied in order to receive a good grade. I play soccer in order to get better.

Special Constructions with Infinitive Phrases ohne…..zu = without doing In English, this is formed with a Gerund while in German it is formed with an infinitive phrase. It is also proceeded by a comma. Er hat mir geholfen, ohne ein Wort zu sagen. Sie nahm das Geschenk, ohne irgendetwas zu sagen. Wir haben das gelernt, ohne ein Buch zu haben. He has helped me without saying a word. She took the gift without saying anything. We have learned it without having a book.

Special Constructions with Infinitive Phrases statt…..zu = instead of to… In English, this is formed with a Gerund while in German it is formed with an infinitive phrase. It is also proceeded by a comma. Wir sollen gehen, statt hier zu warten. Ich will ausgehen, statt immer zu Hause zu bleiben. Du sollst mit ihm sprechen, statt immer wegzulaufen. We should go instead of waiting here. I want to go out instead of always staying at home. You should speak with him instead of always running away.

Um dich zu sehen, würde ich die Welt reisen. A final note. When an infinitive phrase begins a sentence, you must change the word order and put a comma between it and the main clause. The verb of the second clause moves to the front. Um dich zu sehen, würde ich die Welt reisen. Ohne ein Wort zu sagen, bin ich ins Zimmer gegangen. Statt hier zu warten, sind wir nach Atlanta gefahren. In order to see you, I would travel the world. Without saying a word, I went into the room. Instead of waiting here, we drove to Atlanta.