Infinitive without zu

Usually, when two verbs share a sentence, they need a bridge. That bridge is the word zu. For example: Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen. But in our special case, the bridge is gone. The two verbs live in a direct relationship. The first verb is conjugated. It matches the subject. The second verb sits at the very end. It stays in its basic dictionary form. No changes. No endings. Just pure infinitive. This happens because the first verb is strong enough to carry the meaning alone. It does not need the extra grammatical glue. It is like driving a manual car versus an automatic. Once you get the rhythm, it feels much smoother. You are stripping away the fluff to get to the point.

1. 1Building these sentences is actually easier than the standard version. Follow these three simple steps:
2. 2Place your conjugated verb (the "boss" verb) in the second position.
3. 3Put your objects or details in the middle of the sentence.
4. 4Kick the infinitive verb to the very end of the sentence.
5. 5There is no comma needed here. That is a huge bonus! In a standard infinitive clause, you often worry about where the comma goes. Here, the sentence stays one solid piece. For example: Ich sehe dich kommen. Notice how sehe is conjugated? Notice how kommen is just hanging out at the end? That is the whole secret. It is a straight line from the subject to the final action.

You need to memorize a few specific groups of verbs. First, the Modal Verbs. You already know these: können, müssen, dürfen, sollen, wollen, and mögen. They never use zu. You would never say Ich muss zu essen. That sounds like a robot with a low battery.

Next are the Verbs of Perception. These are verbs of the senses. Think of sehen (to see), hören (to hear), fühlen (to feel), or spüren (to sense). If you see someone doing something, no zu is allowed. Ich höre ihn singen. It is immediate. It is happening now.

Then we have Movement Verbs. These include gehen, fahren, laufen, and kommen. You use them when the movement has a specific purpose. Wir gehen tanzen. Er fährt einkaufen. It is a very common way to describe hobbies or errands.

Do not forget the verb lassen. It is the king of this rule. Whether you are letting someone do something or having something done, lassen hates zu. Ich lasse mein Haar schneiden.

Finally, there are the "small" exceptions: bleiben, helfen, lehren, and lernen. These are a bit tricky. With helfen, if the sentence is short, you skip the zu. Ich helfe dir kochen. If it gets long and complex, you can add the zu back in. It is like a grammar choice based on how much breath you have left.

Most other verbs in German *require* the zu. If you use verbs like versuchen (to try), planen (to plan), hoffen (to hope), or verbieten (to forbid), the zu must return. Ich hoffe, dich bald zu sehen.

Also, do not use the bare infinitive with nouns or adjectives that usually trigger an infinitive clause. For example: Es ist schön, dich zu sehen. Here, schön is an adjective, so the zu is mandatory.

A good rule of thumb? If the first verb is not a modal, a sense verb, or a movement verb, you probably need the zu. Think of the zu as the default setting. The bare infinitive is the specialized upgrade for specific situations. If you are unsure, check if the verb fits into one of our "VIP" categories. If not, put the zu back on. It is better to be safe than sounding like you are missing a limb.

The biggest mistake is "English Brain Syndrome." In English, we use "to" almost everywhere. "I want to go." "I see him to come" (wait, we don't say that either!). But because we see "to" so often, we want to put zu in German. Ich kann zu schwimmen is a classic error. Just stop. Breathe. Drop the zu.

Another mistake is the word order. In a job interview, you might say: Ich möchte meine Fähigkeiten verbessern. Some people try to put the infinitive right after the modal. Ich möchte verbessern meine Fähigkeiten. This will make the recruiter tilt their head like a confused puppy. Always keep that infinitive at the very end.

Finally, watch out for helfen. Many people think it *always* takes zu. While it is not strictly wrong to use zu with helfen, using the bare infinitive for simple tasks sounds much more native. Helfen Sie mir mal kurz suchen? sounds like a pro. Helfen Sie mir zu suchen? sounds like you are reading from a 19th-century novel.

Let’s compare two sentences.

1. 1Ich sehe ihn laufen. (I see him running.)
2. 2Ich versuche zu laufen. (I am trying to run.)

In the first one, the action is direct. You are a witness. In the second, there is a mental process involved (trying). This mental gap is where the zu lives.

Think about gehen.

Ich gehe schlafen. (I am going to bed.)

Ich plane, heute früher schlafen zu gehen. (I plan to go to sleep earlier today.)

In the first, gehen is the main movement verb. No zu. In the second, plane is the boss. Since planen isn't on our VIP list, we need the zu bridge. It is all about who is in charge of the sentence.