Infinitive Clauses: um zu, ohne zu, anstatt zu
Build on the zu-infinitive from A2 with three powerful clause types: um ... zu for purpose, ohne ... zu for what does not happen, and anstatt ... zu for what happens instead.
Three new jobs for the zu-infinitive
At A2 you learned the plain infinitive clause with zu: Ich habe vergessen, den Vertrag zu unterschreiben. The pattern was always the same — comma, middle of the clause, then zu plus infinitive at the end. B1 adds three small words at the front of that clause, and each one gives it a completely new meaning.
um ... zu answers the question Wozu? — what for? Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Deutschland zu arbeiten: I am learning German in order to work in Germany. ohne ... zu says that something does not happen alongside the main action: Er ist gegangen, ohne zu bezahlen — he left without paying. anstatt ... zu names what someone does instead of something else: Sie sieht fern, anstatt zu lernen.
All three share one strict rule: the infinitive clause has no subject of its own. The unspoken subject is always the subject of the main clause. Ich lerne Deutsch, um zu arbeiten can only mean that I will do the working. When the two actions belong to different people, German needs a different construction — damit — which is the topic of the next lesson.
Ich lerne jeden Abend Deutsch, um die B1-Prüfung zu bestehen.
I study German every evening in order to pass the B1 examination.
Er hat den Laden verlassen, ohne ein Wort zu sagen.
He left the shop without saying a word.
Anstatt ins Büro zu fahren, arbeitet sie heute von zu Hause.
Instead of driving to the office, she is working from home today.
The infinitive clause can also stand first; then the main clause begins with the verb.
um ... zu — saying what something is for
um ... zu is by far the most frequent of the three. It expresses purpose, and it is the natural answer to Wozu machst du das? Whenever English says in order to, or simply to with a goal in mind, German reaches for um ... zu: Ich rufe an, um einen Termin zu vereinbaren.
The frame works like a bracket. um opens the clause right after the comma, and zu plus the infinitive closes it; everything else — objects, times, places — sits inside: um morgen früh den Vertrag in Ruhe zu lesen. With a separable verb, zu slips between prefix and stem, exactly as at A2: um den Vertrag rechtzeitig zu kündigen, but um Sie morgen anzurufen.
Learners who already know deshalb should notice the difference in direction. Deshalb points backwards at a reason that already exists; um ... zu points forwards at a goal. Ich spare Geld, um ein Auto zu kaufen — the buying has not happened yet. Purpose is always a small look into the future.
Ich rufe bei der Praxis an, um einen Termin zu vereinbaren.
I am calling the practice in order to arrange an appointment.
Viele Leute bestellen online, um Zeit und Geld zu sparen.
Many people order online in order to save time and money.
Um den Vertrag rechtzeitig zu kündigen, müssen Sie die Frist beachten.
In order to cancel the contract in time, you must observe the notice period.
With the separable verb kündigen in other combinations, watch the pattern: zu goes between prefix and stem, as in anzurufen.
Sie ist früher gegangen, um ihre Tochter vom Kindergarten abzuholen.
She left earlier in order to pick her daughter up from the kindergarten.
Separable verb: abholen becomes abzuholen, with zu inside the verb.
ohne ... zu — what does not happen
ohne ... zu describes a missing accompanying action. English needs without plus an -ing form; German uses the same infinitive frame as before: Er hat gekündigt, ohne mit seinem Chef zu sprechen — he resigned without talking to his boss.
Note what the German clause does not contain: no nicht. The negation is built into ohne itself, so ohne nicht zu sprechen would be a double negative and is wrong. Everything else follows the familiar bracket: ohne opens, zu plus infinitive closes, and with a separable verb zu moves inside — ohne das Fenster zuzumachen.
For a completed action that should have happened before the main one, German can say ohne ... gehabt zu haben, but at B1 you do not need this; the simple infinitive covers almost every situation. What you should practise instead is the rhythm: main clause, comma, ohne, details, zu plus verb. Sie hat das Formular unterschrieben, ohne es genau zu lesen.
Er hat gekündigt, ohne vorher mit seinem Chef zu sprechen.
He resigned without speaking to his boss first.
Sie hat das Formular unterschrieben, ohne es genau zu lesen.
She signed the form without reading it carefully.
No nicht in the clause — the negation is already inside ohne.
Man sollte keinen Vertrag abschließen, ohne die Bedingungen zu verstehen.
One should not conclude a contract without understanding the conditions.
anstatt ... zu — what happens instead
anstatt ... zu contrasts what someone actually does with what they could or should be doing: Anstatt eine E-Mail zu schreiben, hat er einfach angerufen. In everyday speech the short form statt ... zu is at least as common and means exactly the same: Statt zu warten, hat sie ein Taxi genommen.
All three clause types — um, ohne, anstatt — can stand before or after the main clause. When the infinitive clause comes first, it fills position one, so the conjugated verb of the main clause follows immediately after the comma: Um gesund zu bleiben, treibt er regelmäßig Sport. This is the same inversion rule you know from wenn- and weil-clauses at the front of a sentence.
A final check for all three: the hidden subject must be the subject of the main clause, the clause is separated by a comma, and zu plus the infinitive stands at the end. If you can tick those three boxes, the sentence is well formed — and you have a compact, elegant alternative to a full subordinate clause.
Anstatt eine E-Mail zu schreiben, hat er einfach angerufen.
Instead of writing an email, he simply called.
Statt zu warten, hat sie ein Taxi genommen.
Instead of waiting, she took a taxi.
statt ... zu is the shorter, equally correct form of anstatt ... zu.
Um gesund zu bleiben, treibt er regelmäßig Sport.
In order to stay healthy, he does sport regularly.
The infinitive clause fills position one, so the main clause starts with its verb: treibt er.
Viele bestellen im Internet, anstatt in die Stadt zu fahren.
Many people order on the internet instead of going into town.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Ich spare Geld, ___ ein Auto zu kaufen. Which word fits the gap?
Practise what you learned