When reviewing job candidates, you might find that someone is a bit too something to be a good fit. To express that a situation is too extreme for a certain result to happen, German uses zu (too) combined with an um ... zu infinitive clause.
These statements are split into two parts, separated by a comma:
- The main clause: Describes the excessive trait using zu
- adjective (like zu krank or zu unerfahren).
- The infinitive clause: Begins with um, followed by any objects or extra details, and ends with zu
- an infinitive verb.
| The applicant is too sick to do the job interview. | Der Bewerber ist zu krank, um das Vorstellungsgespräch zu führen. |
| She is too inexperienced to lead the project. | Sie ist zu unerfahren, um das Projekt zu leiten. |
| Is she too overqualified to do the job? | Ist sie zu überqualifiziert, um die Arbeit zu machen? |
Separable Verbs
When the action at the end of the sentence is a separable verb, zu does not stand as a separate word. Instead, it gets sandwiched between the separable prefix and the verb root to form a single word.
| The company is too small to hire him. | Die Firma ist zu klein, um ihn einzustellen. |
| We have too little money to offer the position. | Wir haben zu wenig Geld, um die Position anzubieten. |
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