Ich habe vergessen, das Fenster zu schließen.
English: I forgot to close the window.
- Language
- German
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Infinitiv- und Partizipialkonstruktionen
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The 'Erweiterter Infinitiv' in German is an extended infinitive construction, usually formed with 'zu' + infinitive. It is used to add more information to a sentence, often after certain verbs, adjectives, or nouns.
When to use it
Use this structure when you want to explain the purpose of an action, after certain verbs or adjectives, or to express alternatives and conditions. It is common after verbs like 'beginnen', 'vergessen', 'hoffen', and after adjectives like 'schwer', 'einfach'.
Key forms
- zu + Infinitiv (z.B. zu gehen, zu essen)
- um ... zu + Infinitiv (z.B. um zu lernen)
- ohne ... zu + Infinitiv (z.B. ohne zu sprechen)
- anstatt ... zu + Infinitiv (z.B. anstatt zu arbeiten)
Examples
Sie versucht, jeden Tag Deutsch zu lernen.
English: She tries to learn German every day.
Er arbeitet, um Geld zu verdienen.
English: He works in order to earn money.
Ohne zu fragen, hat er das Buch genommen.
English: Without asking, he took the book.
Anstatt zu schlafen, hat sie ferngesehen.
English: Instead of sleeping, she watched TV.
Tips
- Do not use 'zu' after modal verbs (like 'können', 'müssen').
- The verb in the 'zu' phrase always goes at the end.
- Pay attention to the comma before the 'zu' infinitive in longer sentences.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs (like 'helfen', 'lassen', 'sehen', 'hören') do not use 'zu' before the infinitive.