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Topic test · B1

Infinitive with zu test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
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Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

Ich versuche, früh schlafen.

I’m trying to sleep early.

zu. versuchen is not a modal, so the second verb takes zu. um zu does not fit here because there is no purpose.

Ich habe vergessen, dich .

I forgot to call you.

anzurufen. With a separable verb, zu goes between the prefix and the stem, and everything is written as one word.

Ich erkläre es langsam, du es verstehst.

erklären = to explain

damit. The subject changes (ich → du), so um … zu cannot be used. damit is a subordinating conjunction: the verb goes to the end.

Er ist gegangen, zu bezahlen.

bezahlen = to pay

ohne. “He left without paying.” The negation is already inside ohne — you do not add nicht.

Ich will heute früh .

I want to sleep early today.

schlafen. wollen is a modal verb; after modals the infinitive comes bare. That is the one dividing line.

Which one is correct?

statt zu lernen. “He plays instead of studying.” Like um and ohne, statt works with zu + infinitive, and the subject must stay the same.

Ich lerne Deutsch, in Deutschland zu arbeiten.

I’m learning German in order to work in Germany.

To express a purpose, if the subject is the same, you build um … zu. damit is for when the subject changes, and it does not take zu.

Es ist wichtig, jeden Tag .

It’s important to practise every day.

Es ist wichtig / schwer / schön … patterns take zu + infinitive. There is no purpose here, so um is not needed.

Ich habe keine Lust, heute .

I don’t feel like going out today.

With separable verbs, zu goes between the prefix and the stem, written as one word: aus + zu + gehen → auszugehen.

Which one is wrong?

zu never follows a modal verb — the infinitive stands bare. Ordinary verbs like vorhaben do take zu.

In sentences with modal verbs (müssen, können, etc.), zu always comes before the second verb.

In sentences with modal verbs, the second verb is used bare (without zu). The zu structure is used with other verbs.

I am here “to” learn German: Ich bin hier, Deutsch zu lernen.

To express “in order to”, the um ... zu pattern is used.

Build the sentence: It was nice to meet you.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

After Es ist/war... patterns, zu + infinitive usually follows.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. In a two-verb sentence, the second verb takes zu

    After structures like versuchen · vergessen · anfangen · Lust haben · wichtig sein, the second verb becomes zu + infinitive and stands at the end of the clause.

    Ich versuche, früh zu schlafen.

  2. Purpose: same subject means um zu

    In a purpose clause, if the subject stays the same, use um … zu; if it changes, use damit. damit never takes zu.

    Ich lerne, um zu arbeiten. · Ich erkläre es, damit du verstehst.

  3. With a separable verb, zu goes in the middle

    zu sits between the prefix and the stem, and all three are written as one word: anrufen → anzurufen, ausgehen → auszugehen.

    Ich habe vergessen, dich anzurufen.

  4. After a modal there is NO zu

    können · müssen · wollen · dürfen · sollen · mögen take a bare infinitive. The same goes for sehen · hören · lassen · gehen.

    Ich will schlafen. · Ich gehe schwimmen.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Ich muss zu arbeiten.

    Ich muss arbeiten.

    After a modal verb the infinitive stands bare; no zu is added.

  • Ich habe vergessen, dich zu anrufen.

    Ich habe vergessen, dich anzurufen.

    With a separable verb, zu goes in the middle, not in front, and the word is written as one.

  • Ich erkläre es, damit du zu verstehen.

    Ich erkläre es, damit du verstehst.

    damit is an ordinary subordinating conjunction: it wants a conjugated verb, not zu.

  • Er spielt, statt lernen.

    Er spielt, statt zu lernen.

    statt and ohne also need zu + infinitive.