Breakdown of Ich brauche die Behandlung und die Pflege nicht zu bezahlen.
ich
I
und
and
brauchen
to need
nicht
not
bezahlen
to pay
zu
to (infinitive marker)
die Behandlung
the treatment
die Pflege
the care
Questions & Answers about Ich brauche die Behandlung und die Pflege nicht zu bezahlen.
Why do we use brauchen ... nicht zu here instead of müssen ... nicht?
In German, to say 'don't have to' or 'don't need to', we use brauchen nicht zu plus the infinitive. If you use müssen with nicht, it can sometimes sound like a strict prohibition ('must not'). Using brauchen is the clearest way to express that there is no obligation to pay.
Why does nicht come right before zu bezahlen instead of earlier in the sentence?
In sentences with a conjugated verb and an infinitive at the end, nicht usually goes right before the action it negates. Here, it negates the action of paying, so it sits right in front of zu bezahlen, pushing the direct objects (die Behandlung und die Pflege) earlier in the sentence.
Can I leave out the zu and just say Ich brauche die Behandlung nicht bezahlen?
In casual spoken German, people sometimes drop the zu and treat brauchen exactly like a regular modal verb. However, in standard written German, you must include zu before the infinitive when using brauchen in this way.
Are die Behandlung and die Pflege in the accusative case here?
Yes, they are the direct objects of the verb bezahlen (to pay). Because both are feminine nouns, their articles remain die in the accusative case, so they look exactly the same as they would in the nominative (subject) case.
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