Formzu + Adjektiv / Adjektiv + genug, um … zu + Infinitiv
Meaning and usage
zu before an adjective means too, and an um … zu clause after it says what is therefore not possible: Er ist zu jung, um Auto zu fahren, Es ist noch zu kalt, um kurze Hosen zu tragen. With genug after the adjective it means enough to: Er ist alt genug, um in die Schule zu gehen.
There are two different zus here: the first means too, the second belongs to the infinitive. sehr cannot do the first job: too young to drive is zu jung, um Auto zu fahren, not sehr jung.
Examples 5
Es ist noch zu kalt, um kurze Hosen zu tragen.
It's still too cold to wear shorts.
Sie war zu klein, um über den Zaun zu sehen.
She was too short to see over the fence.
Er ist alt genug, um in die Schule zu gehen.
He's old enough to go to school.
Ich bin gerade viel zu beschäftigt, um euch zu helfen.
I'm way too busy to help you right now.
Ich bin gewöhnlich zu müde, um etwas anderes zu tun.
I'm usually too tired to do anything else.
Test yourself
-
1 Sprachbausteine
Mein Bruder ist noch nicht alt , um allein zu reisen.
Show answer
Correct answer: genug
genug follows the adjective: alt genug, um allein zu reisen is old enough to travel alone.
- zu Too is zu before the adjective, as in zu jung, not after it.
- sehr means very and stands before the adjective.
- so stands before the adjective and goes with dass, as in so alt, dass.
In this topic: um … zu and damit
- um … zu um … zu: in order to
- damit … Verb damit: so that, with its own subject
- um … zu / damit same subject: um … zu; different subject: damit
- ohne … zu / ohne dass ohne … zu: without doing something
- (an)statt … zu (an)statt … zu: instead of doing something
- zu jung, um … zu too … to, enough to: zu …, um … zu
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.