| 33.17 Constructions with zu + Infinitive and with zum + Infinitive |
| Examples | |
| a) Man
muss ihn zum Laufen bringen. = They want to get him walking / to walk. |
 |
| b) Er hat keine Lust zu laufen. = He does not feel like walking. |
|
| a) Er
hat uns zum Essen eingeladen. = He has invited us for dinner. |
|
| b) Es gibt nichts zu essen.
= There is nothing to eat. |
|
| a) Zum Schwimmen sind wir nie gekommen. = We never managed to swim. |
|
| b) Um schnell zu schwimmen,
muss man trainieren. = To swim fast, one has to train hard. |
|
| a) Ich
hatte keine Zeit zum Lesen. = I did not have time to read. |
|
| b) Er hatte keine Zeit,
das Buch zu lesen. = He did not have time to read the book. |
|
In the examples above always show two sentences a) a phrase with zum + infinitivo and a b) a phrase with zu + infinitivo. Are you wondering what exactly is the difference (if there is a difference?) between the two? Well, there is a difference and it is not that hard to find: In the construction zum + infinitive, the infinitive is an object (a substantivation) in the construction zu + infinitive, the infinitive is a verb. You can also see the differenc in writing: When using zum + infinitive, the infinitive has a capital first letter. When using zu + infinitive the infinitive is written in small letters.
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