Infinitive Clauses with Objects
When you advise, ask, or encourage someone to do something, that person is the object of the main clause, but the logical subject of the action they will perform.
Instead of a complex dass (that) clause, you can use an infinitive clause. The main clause is followed by a comma, and the infinitive clause ends with zu + the infinitive verb.
For example, with the dative verb raten (to advise), the dative object (dem Chor) performs the action:
| The conductor advises the choir to sing more quietly. | Der Dirigent rät dem Chor, leiser zu singen. |
Verbs of Asking, Encouraging, and Persuading
Many verbs that trigger this structure take an accusative object, such as auffordern (to ask to do something), ermutigen (to encourage), and überreden (to persuade).
Notice how the accusative object (uns, einander) performs the action in the infinitive clause:
| He asks us to wait for the cue. | Er fordert uns auf, auf den Einsatz zu warten. |
| We encourage each other to rehearse the melody one more time. | Wir ermutigen einander, die Melodie noch einmal zu proben. |
Separable Verbs and Negation
For separable verbs, zu is squeezed between the prefix and the verb stem to form a single word.
For example, einatmen (to breathe in) becomes einzuatmen:
| The conductor asks the choir to breathe in together. | Der Dirigent fordert den Chor auf, gemeinsam einzuatmen. |
To tell someone not to do something, place nicht right before the zu + infinitive:
| She encourages us not to miss the cue. | Sie ermutigt uns, den Einsatz nicht zu verpassen. |