Infinitivsätze mit zu
These three constructions connect two actions with the same subject, without repeating the subject or conjugating a second verb - just zu plus an infinitive at the end. They are more compact than a full subordinate clause.
Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Deutschland zu arbeiten. (I am learning German in order to work in Germany.)
Use um...zu only when both parts of the sentence share the same subject ("I" learns German, "I" works). If the subjects differ, you need damit + a full subordinate clause instead (covered in vocabulary lessons as needed).
Quick check: um...zu is only used when both halves of the sentence share what?
Er verließ das Haus, ohne die Tür zu schließen. (He left the house without closing the door.)
Quick check: "without closing the door" - ohne die Tür ______ schließen.
Sie blieb zu Hause, anstatt spazieren zu gehen. (She stayed home instead of going for a walk.)
anstatt and statt are interchangeable; statt is the shorter, more common spoken form.
Quick check: what is the shorter, more common spoken form of anstatt?
Unlike weil or obwohl clauses, these zu-infinitive clauses have no subject and no conjugated verb of their own - just zu + infinitive at the very end. That makes them shorter and, once the pattern is familiar, easier to build on the fly.
1. "I am learning German in order to work in Germany" - Ich lerne Deutsch, ______ in Deutschland zu arbeiten.
2. "She stayed home instead of going for a walk" - Sie blieb zu Hause, ______ spazieren zu gehen.
Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.
Want to practice building a few um...zu sentences about your own goals? Ask your teaching agent.