Breakdown of Der Assistent ist zu schüchtern, um die Pflicht zu erfüllen.
sein
to be
zu
too (e.g., too big)
der Assistent
the assistant
um ... zu
in order to
die Pflicht
the duty
schüchtern
shy
erfüllen
to fulfill
Questions & Answers about Der Assistent ist zu schüchtern, um die Pflicht zu erfüllen.
How does the zu ... um ... zu structure work in this sentence?
This structure matches the English 'too [adjective] to [verb]'. The first part, zu schüchtern, means 'too shy'. The second part, um die Pflicht zu erfüllen, literally means 'in order to fulfill the duty'. Together, they express that his excessive shyness prevents him from doing the task.
Why is there a comma before um? English does not use one for 'too shy to...'.
German punctuation rules are stricter about separating clauses. An infinitive clause (a phrase built around a verb in its dictionary form) introduced by um, ohne, or anstatt must always be separated from the main clause by a comma.
Can I always use um ... zu when I want to say 'too [adjective] to [verb]'?
You can use um ... zu as long as the person or thing doing the action is the same in both parts of the sentence. Here, the assistant is the one who is shy, and the assistant is also the one supposed to fulfill the duty. If the subjects were different (like 'The task is too hard for him to do'), you would need a different grammar structure.
Are die Pflicht and erfüllen a fixed phrase here?
Yes, eine Pflicht erfüllen is a very common pairing meaning 'to fulfill a duty' or 'to do one's duty'. You will also often see erfüllen used with similar abstract concepts, like einen Wunsch erfüllen (to grant a wish) or Erwartungen erfüllen (to meet expectations).
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