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How and when to use infinitive clauses in German?

By: Dr. Daniel Krauße

In German, an infinitive clause is a phrase built around an verb that is used to complete the meaning of some other part of the sentence. For example:

Ich habe vergessen, Bananen zu kaufen.
Translation: I forgot to buy bananas.
Bananen zu kaufen completes the meaning of — Ich habe vergessenit explains what was forgotten.

In German, the subject of an infinitive clause is usually implied and is understood to be the same as the subject of the sentence, and the infinitive verb is preceded by the word zu meaning to.

In this post, we’ll discuss how to form German infinitive clauses and when to use them. You’ll see that though their structure might be a little different from English, we use German infinitive clauses in similar situations to where you’d expect them in English. Ready to have a look? Let’s dive in!

What is an infinitive in German?

The infinitive is the dictionary form of a verb, equivalent to the “to verb” form in English.

  • In German, infinitives usually end with -en.

    • machen
      Translation: to do
    • spielen
      Translation: to play
    • schlafen
      Translation: to sleep

  • Though it’s less common, some German infinitives end in -ern and -eln. There are two reasons a verb might take these endings:

    • They are derived from a base word with the ending -er or -el:

      • Ärger
        Translation: anger
        ärgern
        Translation: to annoy
      • Segel
        Translation: sail
        segeln
        Translation: to sail

    • It’s a verb of repetition:

      • ballern
        Translation: to fire all over the place
      • baumeln
        Translation: to dangle
      • schütteln
        Translation: to shake

Much like in English, in German you can use perfect infinitives (e.g. “to have seen”) to specify that the infinitive action was over. These are formed just like the German perfect tense, but using the infinitive of the auxiliary verb: haben meaning have or sein meaning be.

  • haben gelernt
    Translation: to have learned
  • sein gegangen
    Translation: to have gone

And those are the basics of German infinitive verbs! Let’s find out how to use them in German infinitive clauses!

When to use an infinitive clause in German?

In German, infinitive clauses are used to complete the meaning of certain verbs, adjectives, and expressions. Here are some examples of German expressions that are commonly followed by infinitive clauses. Notice that many of them can be followed by infinitives in English too!

  • Verbs for starting, stopping and attempting:

    • anfangen
      Translation: to start (to verb)
    • aufhören
      Translation: to stop (verbing)
    • beginnen
      Translation: to start (to verb)
    • probieren
      Translation: to try (verbing)
    • versuchen
      Translation: to try (to verb)
    • scheinen
      Translation: to seem (to verb)

  • Verbs of speech:

    • bitte
      Translation: to start (to verb)
    • sich weigern
      Translation: to refuse (to verb)
    • verbieten
      Translation: to start (to verb)
    • versprechen
      Translation: to promise (to verb)
    • warnen vor
      Translation: to warn against (verbing)

  • Verbs of thinking, planning, and hoping:

    • vorhaben
      Translation: to plan (to verb)
    • entscheiden
      Translation: to decide (to verb)
    • gedenken
      Translation: to think (of verbing)
    • glauben
      Translation: to think (of verbing)
    • hoffen
      Translation: to hope (to verb)
    • meinen
      Translation: to think (of verbing)
    • wissen
      Translation: to know (how to verb)

  • Expressions with finden meaning to find + adjective + infinitive clause:

    • es anstrengend finden
      Translation: to find it hard (to verb)
    • es erstaunlich finden
      Translation: to find it amazing (to verb)
    • es gut finden
      Translation: to find it good (to verb),
      to like (verbing)
    • es optimal finden
      Translation: to find it optimal (to verb)
    • es schwer finden
      Translation: to find difficult (to verb)
    • es super finden
      Translation: to find great (to verb)

  • Impersonal expressions with sein meaning to be + adjective:

    • anstrengend sein
      Translation: to be hard (to verb)
    • erstaunlich sein
      Translation: to be amazing (to verb)
    • gut sein
      Translation: to be good (to verb)
    • optimal sein
      Translation: to be optimal (to verb)
    • schwer sein
      Translation: to be difficult (to verb)
    • super sein
      Translation: to seem (to verb)

Check out these examples of German infinitive clausesto see how each of the above expressions are used in sentences!

What is the structure of an infinitive clause in German?

In German, an infinitive clause always ends with the particle zu meaning to + the infinitive verb. Any objects, prepositional phrases, or adverbs that are associated with the infinitive verb come before the Infinitiv mit zu meaning Infinitive with zu.

Furthermore, the infinitive clause will generally come after the main clause of the sentence, so the structure of a complete sentence will look like this:

Main clause

comma

( ... )

zu

infinitive

Ich werde versuchen, genug Essen für morgen Abend zu bestellen.
Translation: I will try to order enough food for tomorrow evening.

This construction can make this type of German sentence quite long-winded but also suspenseful at times, because you often don't know until the end what the action of the sentence will be! Look at this example:

main clause'zu' + infinitive
Max plant, seiner lieben Mutter morgen endlich die so sehr von ihr geliebten Blumen in ihrem Lieblingsladen zu kaufen.
Translation: Max is planning to finally buy his dear mother the flowers that she loves so much in her favorite flower shop tomorrow.

What is the subject of a German infinitive clause?

Just like in English, the subject of an infinitive clause is usually implied, but is understood to be the same as the subject of the main clause:

  • Er entschied sich, in seine Heimat zurückzukehren.
    Translation: He decided to return to his hometown.
    He decided. He returned.
  • Ich habe Lust, dir zu helfen.
    Translation: I’m happy to help you.
    I am happy. I am helping.
  • Wir beginnen jetzt, den Text zu analysieren.
    Translation: We’ll start to analyze the text now.
    We are starting. We are analyzing.

If the main clause is impersonal, the infinitive clause is understood to apply for some generic subject, and the speaker in particular:

  • Es war schwer, ihr lange zuzuhören.
    Translation: It was difficult to listen to her.
    It would be difficult for anyone, but certainly for the speaker!
  • Es war schon erstaunlich, ihn ohne sein neues Auto zu sehen.
    Translation: It was quite amazing to see him without his new car.
    The speaker believes anyone would find it amazing.

In rare cases, the main clause and the infinitive clause can have different subjects. This normally happens in sentences where the subject of the main verb is asking, advising or helping someone else to do something. The person being asked, advised, or helped is the object of the main verb, usually in the dative case or accusative case (depending on the verb), but is understood to be the subject of the infinitive.

  • subject (nominative)direct object (dative)'zu' + infinitive
    Ich bitte dich, dies zu akzeptieren.
    Translation: I ask you to accept this.
    I am doing the asking, you are doing the accepting
  • subject (nominative)object (dative)'zu' + infinitive
    Ich helfe dir, dein Auto zu reparieren.
    Translation: I help you to repair your car.
    You will repair the car (with my help).

Can the infinitive clause come before the main clause?

In German, the infinitive clause can come before the main clause, mainly for emphasis. When you do this, though, make sure to put the conjugated verb of the main clause right after the comma.

'zu' + infinitivemain verb
Die vielen Hausaufgaben an einem Tag zu schaffen, ist wirklich nicht leicht.
Translation: To finish that much homework in one day is really not easy.
Um die Prüfung zu bestehen, habe ich viel gelernt.
Translation: In order to pass the exam, I studied a lot.
Ohne mir ein Wort zu sagen, flog sie nach Hause.
Translation: Without saying a word to me, she flew home.

How to use ‘zu’ in German infinitive clauses?

In German, the infinitive verb of an infinitive clause will almost always be introduced by zu meaning to However, there are a few rules and exceptional cases to discuss. Let’s have a look!

Where to put ‘zu’ in a German infinitive clause?

We told you above that a German infinitive clause will always end with zu + infinitive. However, this oversimplifies things, because zu does not always come before the infinitive, sometimes it is incorporated into the middle of the infinitive. This happens in three main cases:

  1. Separable prefix verbs → If combining zu with the infinitive of a separable-prefix verb like anfangen meaning to begin, zu is put between the prefix (an) and the rest of the verb (fangen):

    infinitive separable verb'zu'
    Monika hofft, morgen mit dem Deutschunterricht anzufangen.
    Translation: Monika hopes to begin with the German course tomorrow.

  2. Modal verbs → When using a modal verb in an infinitive clause, zu is put after the infinitive of the main verb and the infinitive of modal verb itself:

    main verb (infinitive)'zu'modal verb (infinitive)
    Monika hofft, morgen mit dem Deutschunterricht anfangen zu können.
    Translation: Monika hopes to be able to begin with the German course tomorrow.

  3. Perfect infinitives → When using a perfect infinitive in the infinitive clause, zu comes between the past participle and the auxiliary verb (haben or sein)

    past participle'zu'auxiliary verb (infinitive)
    Ich habe das Glück, Sie kennengelernt zu haben.
    Translation: I am lucky to have met you.
    Seid ihr froh, in die Schweiz gezogen zu sein?
    Translation: Are you happy to have moved to Switzerland?

If you remember that zualways immediately precedes the last infinitive of the subordinate clause, then you will be safe!

When to NOT use ‘zu’ in an infinitive clause?

In German, there are some cases where you can form the infinitive clause without using the word zu meaning to. You’ll mostly do this in the following situations:

  • After all modal verbs: dürfen meaning may, können meaning can, mögen meaning like/may, müssen meaning must, sollen meaning be supposed to, wollen meaning want to, and lassen meaning let:

    modal verbinfinitive without 'zu'
    Kannst du mir bitte helfen?
    Translation: Can you please help me?
    Er will in Deutschland studieren.
    Translation: He wants to study in Germany.
    Remember that in German “want to” is expressed using a modal verb!
    Lass mich dir das zeigen.
    Translation: Let me show it to you.

  • After the verbs sehen meaning see and hören meaning hear:

    verb of perceptioninfinitive without 'zu'
    Wir sahen ihn kommen.
    Translation: We saw him come.
    Hast du sie rufen hören?
    Translation: Did you hear her shout?

  • A few verbs of (non-)motion, especially gehen meaning go, kommen meaning come, fahren meaning go by car and bleiben meaning stay:

    verb of (non-)motioninfinitive without 'zu'
    Wir sind schwimmen gegangen.
    Translation: We went swimming.
    Könntest du bitte mal stehen bleiben?
    Translation: Could you please stop (lit. keep standing) for a second?

  • A small range of other verbs, e.g. lernen meaning learn, lehren meaning teach, haben meaning possess:

    verbinfinitive without 'zu'
    Wir lernen heute rechnen.
    Translation: We’re going to learn to calculate today.
    Ich habe eine antike Vase in der Vitrine stehen.
    Translation: I have an ancient vase (standing) in my cabinet.

What are some words that go with ‘zu’ in German?

Sometimes, zu can be accompanied by other small words, such as um zu meaning in order to, (an)statt zu meaning instead of (doing), and ohne zu meaning without (doing).

In such constructions, the first part (um, anstatt, ohne) is placed right after the comma, but zu goes into its usual place right before the infinitive verb.

  • Ich habe viel gelernt, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
    Translation: I studied a lot in order to pass the exam.
  • Viele Jugendliche spielen lieber Computerspiele, anstatt (ein Buch) zu lesen .
    Translation: Many teenagers prefer to play computer games instead of reading (a book).
  • Sie flog nach Hause, ohne mir ein Wort zu sagen.
    Translation: She flew home without saying a word to me.

What German verbs change their meaning when you use them with an infinitive clause?

Curiously, some German verbs completely change their meaning when they are combined with an infinitive clause with zu. This is similar to the difference between “to have” and “to have to” in English. Here’s an overview of some verbs which change their meaning:

Without zuWith zu
Ich habe viele Hausaufgaben.
Translation: I have a lot of homework.
Ich habe viele Hausaufgaben zu machen.
Translation: I have to do a lot of homework
Diese Aufgabe ist schwer.
Translation: This task is difficult.
Diese Aufgabe ist zu beenden.
Translation: This task has to be done.
Die Sonne scheint.
Translation: The sun is shining.
Die Sonne scheint unterzugehen.
Translation: The sun seems to set.
Martin pflegte seine Oma.
Translation: Martin cared for his grandma.
Martin pflegte seine Oma zu besuchen.
Translation: Martin used to visit his grandma.
Ich habe viele Hausaufgaben.
Translation: We’ll come later.
Ich habe viele Hausaufgaben zu machen.
Translation: I have to do a lot of homework
Wir kommen später.
Translation: I have a lot of homework.
Wir kommen später darauf zu sprechen.
Translation: We’ll get around to talking about this later.
Ich bekam das Buch.
Translation: I got the book.
Ich bekam das Buch nicht zu sehen.
Translation: I didn’t get to see the book.

German verbs of desire: Infinitive clause or subordinate clause?

Verbs and expressions of desire in German can have two structures.

  1. When the person with the desire also wants to do an action, you’ll follow the expression of desire with an infinitive clause:

    infinitive clause
    Ich habe Lust, ins Kino zu gehen.
    Translation: I want to go to the movies.
    I am wanting. I will go.

  2. If the subjects are different, you’ll need to use a full subordinate clause, with a subject and a conjugated verb, introduced by the conjunction dass meaning that:

    conjugated verb
    Ich habe keine Lust, dass er mit mir kommt.
    Translation: I don’t want him to come with me.
    Literally: I don’t want that he comes with me.
    Ich will, dass du mir hilfst.
    Translation: I want you to help me.
    Literally: I want that you help me.
    Möchten Sie, dass ich das Fenster schließe?
    Translation: Would you like me to close the window, Sir/Madam?
    Literally: Desire you that I close the window?

So if you’re expressing what you want someone else to do, make sure not to use an infinitive clause!

Summary

Let’s recap what we’ve covered today:

  • A range of German expressions, especially verbs and some adjectives, are commonly used before infinitive clauses.

  • Infinitive clauses in German generally require the particle zu, which comes before the final infinitive of the infinitive clause (though a few verbs require the infinitive but no zu).

  • The verb comes at the end of an infinitive clause.

Ready to practice? Check out our German infinitive clause exercises to test your knowledge, or review these examples of German expressions that trigger the infinitive.

Meet the Author

Dr. Daniel Krauße

Dr. Daniel Krauße

Grammar Writer

Daniel Krauße is a linguist with a special interest in German, Indonesian and the indigenous languages of Australia.

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