Infinitive Constructions with “zu” in German (B2)

Express thoughts, decisions, and intentions calmly

This page helps you write and speak German more clearly and naturally, without complicated rules.

🔖 Level note:

Level: B2
(also suitable for review from B1)

❓When do Germans use infinitive constructions with “zu”?

In everyday life, Germans use infinitive constructions with zu when they talk about decisions, intentions, reasons, or careful actions.
You hear this structure especially often at work, in emails, or when someone wants to sound thoughtful and calm.

💡The core idea

🔹 Infinitive constructions with “zu” connect two thoughts into one calm, clear sentence.

The second part often describes:

• what someone wants to do
• what is better to do
• what someone is thinking about
• what someone wants to avoid

🔎Everyday examples

Decisions & caution

• Es ist besser, zuerst zu prüfen. (It’s better to check first.)
• Ich habe mich entschieden, nicht zu klicken. (I decided not to click.)
• Sie versucht, keinen Fehler zu machen. (She tries not to make a mistake.)

Thoughts & feelings

• Ich habe Angst, etwas falsch zu verstehen. (I’m afraid to misunderstand something.)
• Er denkt darüber nach, die IT anzurufen. (He’s thinking about calling IT.)
• Sie hofft, eine gute Lösung zu finden. (She hopes to find a good solution.)

Work & communication

• Danke, dass Sie daran gedacht haben, vorsichtig zu sein. (Thank you for remembering to be careful.)
• Es ist wichtig, ruhig zu bleiben. (It’s important to stay calm.)
• Wir planen, das Problem später zu klären. (We’re planning to clarify the problem later.)

📎 You can find these structures, for example, in the story “Die geheimen E-Mails” (B2).

📝How the structure works

An infinitive construction with zu consists of:

1. a main clause
2. a comma
3. zu + verb in the infinitive

Example:

Es ist besser, zu warten. (It’s better, to wait.)

Quick note:

The verb comes at the end, and zu belongs directly to the verb.

❗Common mistakes

❌ Es ist besser, zuerst prüfen.
✅ Es ist besser, zuerst zu prüfen.
(It’s better to check first.)

❌ Ich habe entschieden, das nicht machen.
✅ Ich habe entschieden, das nicht zu machen.
(I decided not to do that.)

❌ Sie denkt, zu gehen früher.
✅ Sie denkt daran, früher zu gehen.
(She’s thinking about going earlier.)

🛈 Typical problems: forgetting “zu” or putting it in the wrong place.

🎯Practice & reinforce

In these exercises, you can recognize the structure in context and use it yourself. Work calmly and without time pressure.

(The exercises are self-explanatory and ideal for review.)

📚Stories using this grammar

These stories show infinitive constructions with zu in context:

• Die geheimen E-Mails (B2)

👉 Listening repeatedly helps you recognize the structure automatically.

💭Final note

A small learning tip:

You don’t need to be able to explain this structure perfectly. It’s enough to recognize it — the rest will come with time.