Master the German Infinitive with "zu"

verbs

Jul 11

Learning the German infinitive with zu can feel difficult at first. However, the rule becomes much easier when you understand the basic sentence structure. Let’s take a look.

Recommended study materials on the topic:

Langenscheidt Go Smart - German Verbs
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
German Verb Charts: Learning Regular and Irregular Verbs at a glance

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Why is it so confusing

Many students find the German infinitive with zu confusing because English and German build infinitive phrases differently.

In English, to is often part of the infinitive (which is the basic form of a verb):

to learn, to work, to speak

For example:

I want to learn German.

Because of this, English speakers often expect German to use zu every time English uses to. But that does not work.

In German, zu is not part of the infinitive itself.

The German infinitive is simply:

lernen, arbeiten, sprechen

The word zu is added only in certain sentence structures.

Compare:

Ich möchte Deutsch lernen.
I would like to learn German.

Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen.
I am trying to learn German.

Both German sentences contain an infinitive. However, only the second sentence uses zu.

That is why it is better not to translate English to directly. Instead, you need to look at the German verb or expression before the infinitive.

This lesson explains when to use zu in German, where to put it, and when German uses an infinitive without zu.

When to Use zu in German

We usually use an infinitive construction with zu when the person doing the action is already clear and no new subject is needed in the infinitive clause. The “zu” + infinitive usually goes to the last position in the sentence.

Es ist wichtig, pünktlich zu sein. = “Es ist wichtig” - “es” is the subject vs. “pünktlich zu sein” - no subject in this part
It is important to be punctual.

1. Zu After Impersonal Expressions

German often uses zu + infinitive after expressions with es ist.

Common examples are:

Es ist wichtig, … → It is important…
Es ist schwer, … → It is difficult…
Es ist leicht, … → It is easy…
Es ist schön, … → It is nice…
Es ist erlaubt, … → It is allowed…
Es ist nicht erwünscht, … → It is not desired…

Examples:

Es ist schwer, Deutsch schnell zu lernen.
It is difficult to learn German quickly.

Es ist schön, neue Menschen kennenzulernen.
It is nice to meet new people.

Es ist nicht erwünscht, Witze über den Präsidenten zu machen.
It is not desirable to make jokes about the president.

The infinitive phrase explains what is important, difficult, easy, or allowed.

Sentence pattern

Es ist + adjective, + information + zu + infinitive

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2. Zu After Nouns Used with haben

The infinitive with zu is also common after nouns connected with haben.

Typical combinations include:

Zeit haben → to have time
Lust haben → to feel like doing something
Angst haben → to be afraid
den Wunsch haben → to have the wish
die Absicht haben → to have the intention
die Möglichkeit haben → to have the opportunity

Examples:

Ich habe keine Zeit, die Gäste vom Flughafen abzuholen.
I do not have time to pick up the guests from the airport.

Maik hat die Absicht, sein Französisch zu verbessern.
Maik intends to improve his French.

Otto hat den Wunsch, in Japan zu studieren.
Otto wants to study in Japan.

Sentence pattern

Subject + haben + noun, + information + zu + infinitive

3. Zu After Certain Verbs

Many German verbs are followed by zu + infinitive.

Important verbs include:

anfangen → to begin
aufhören → to stop
beschließen → to decide
empfehlen → to recommend
hoffen → to hope
planen → to plan
versuchen → to try
vergessen → to forget
vorhaben → to intend

Examples:

Ich versuche, jeden Tag Deutsch zu lernen.
I try to learn German every day.

Wir hoffen, bald nach Deutschland zu reisen.
We hope to travel to Germany soon.

Er hat beschlossen, eine neue Stelle zu suchen.
He has decided to look for a new job.

Zu with Separable Verbs

Separable verbs need special attention.

Examples of separable verbs are:

abholen, aufstehen, zuhören, vorbereiten, kennenlernen

With these verbs, zu goes between the prefix and the main part of the verb.

Examples:

Ich habe keine Zeit, meine Freundin abzuholen.

Es ist wichtig, gut zuzuhören.

Ich versuche, früh aufzustehen.

Sie freut sich, neue Kollegen kennenzulernen.

Where Does the Infinitive with zu Go?

The infinitive phrase normally goes at the end of the sentence.

Ich versuche, jeden Tag eine Stunde Deutsch zu lernen.

The conjugated verb is near the beginning:

Ich versuche …

The infinitive is at the end:

… Deutsch zu lernen.

More examples:

Sie hofft, bald eine neue Wohnung zu finden.

Wir planen, nächstes Jahr nach Österreich zu fahren.

Er hat vergessen, die Tür zu schließen.

Conclusion

After reading this article, I hope that you now understand when to use the German infinitive with zu and when to leave zu out.

Remember: The infinitive itself is just the basic verb form, such as lernen, machen, or kommen. The word zu is only added in certain constructions. Once you understand the main patterns, the rules become much easier to recognize and use.

To broaden your German grammar knowledge a little more, check out the article on using “um … zu”, “statt … zu” and “ohne … zu” in German. These three constructions follow very similar rules, so if you understand one of them, the others will be much easier too.

Bis bald!

Steffie

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