The zu-infinitive, and um…zu for purpose
CEFR B1
What you will learn
- Recognise the pattern taught in “The zu-infinitive, and um…zu for purpose” in a short example.
- Choose the appropriate form from “The zu-infinitive, and um…zu for purpose” using explicit evidence.
- Apply and justify the rule from “The zu-infinitive, and um…zu for purpose” in a new case.
The idea
Many German verbs and expressions link to a zu-infinitive, whose placement depends on whether the verb is simple, separable or inseparable. With um…zu, the construction expresses purpose and normally shares its subject with the main clause.
The basic model is «Ich versuche, früher aufzustehen». Before a simple or inseparable infinitive, zu stays separate: zu kommen, zu besuchen, zu studieren. With a separable verb, it sits between the prefix and base: aufzustehen, mitzukommen, anzurufen.
Verbs such as versuchen, vergessen, anfangen, aufhören, hoffen or beschließen select this construction, as do expressions with sein or haben: «Es ist wichtig, pünktlich zu sein», «Ich habe keine Lust, heute zu kochen». Learn the pattern with the expression that governs it.
um…zu expresses purpose when the construction’s implicit subject normally matches the main-clause subject: «Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Wien zu studieren». damit permits a different explicit subject and can also occur with the same subject; when the subjects have to differ, um…zu is not available.
ohne…zu presents an action that does not take place —«Er ging weg, ohne etwas zu sagen»— and statt…zu an alternative. A finite modal governs a bare infinitive: «Ich muss arbeiten». The modal itself can nevertheless carry zu inside another construction: «ohne arbeiten zu müssen». Thus the absence of zu concerns the infinitive governed directly by the modal, not every occurrence of a modal.
The 2024 Official Rules of German Spelling treat sentence-valued infinitive groups as infinitive subordinate clauses and delimit them with a comma, with or without an introducer: «Ich hoffe, bald zu kommen». Exceptions cover non-clausal readings or forms integrated into the verbal group (§ 73 E2/E4), such as «Er scheint zu schlafen»; first decide whether the group functions as an infinitive subordinate clause.
An infinitive construction does not express a nominative subject of its own; that subject is recovered from the main clause or context. To solve one, identify the governor, recovered subject, function —complement, purpose, absence or substitution— and lexical verb type before placing zu.
posicion de zu
| elemento | forma |
|---|---|
| 1 | simple · kommen · zu kommen |
| 2 | separable · anfangen · anzufangen |
| 3 | separable · aufstehen · aufzustehen |
| 4 | inseparable · besuchen · zu besuchen |
| 5 | terminado en -ieren · studieren · zu studieren |
regencia y finalidad
| elemento | forma |
|---|---|
| 1 | verbo que rige zu · Ich hoffe, bald zu kommen. |
| 2 | modal sin zu · Ich muss heute arbeiten. |
| 3 | modal dentro de otro grupo con zu · ohne arbeiten zu müssen |
| 4 | mismo sujeto y finalidad · Sie spart, um zu reisen. |
| 5 | sujetos distintos y finalidad · Ich erkläre es, damit du es verstehst. |
coma en grupos de infinitivo
| elemento | forma |
|---|---|
| 1 | subordinada infinita con introductor · Er ging, ohne zu warten. |
| 2 | subordinada infinita dependiente de verbo · Ich hoffe, bald zu kommen. |
| 3 | subordinada infinita incrustada · Sein Wunsch, zu reisen, wurde stärker. |
| 4 | lectura integrada en el grupo verbal · Er scheint zu schlafen. · excepción sin coma |
How it sounds
- Ich versuche, früher aufzustehen.Separable verb: the zu goes between the prefix and the stem.
- Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Wien zu studieren.Same subject in both halves, so um…zu fits.
- Er ging weg, ohne etwas zu sagen.ohne…zu says what did not happen, in two words.
- Ich muss heute länger arbeiten.In this finite-modal group, the directly governed infinitive has no zu.
Your turn
Two or three, to check that the bit above landed.
Ich hoffe, dich bald ___. (sehen)
zu sehen — hoffen introduces a zu-infinitive construction; the simple verb gives zu sehen.
Wir versuchen, morgen früher ___. (einkaufen)
einzukaufen — einkaufen is separable, so zu is inserted between ein and kaufen.
Sie spart Geld, ___ im Sommer zu reisen.
um — The subject of saving and travelling is the same, so purpose is expressed with um…zu.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- sehen, hören, lassen, gehen and bleiben link without zu.Ich sehe ihn kommen.
- If the second half has a different subject, um…zu will not do and damit is needed.Ich lerne Deutsch, damit meine Kinder mich verstehen.
- With sein plus zu plus infinitive the sentence turns into a passive of possibility.Das ist leicht zu verstehen.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Ich hoffe zu sehen dich bald.
Right Ich hoffe, dich bald zu sehen.
English puts «to see» right after the verb and everything else afterwards. German sends the zu-infinitive to the very end, so the object and the time have to go in front of it.