Question 1

Why does this sentence use haben ... zu instead of müssen?

Accepted Answer

Using haben + zu + an infinitive is a more formal or authoritative way to express an active obligation. It means the exact same thing as Die Tierpfleger müssen das Gehege verriegeln, but it sounds more official, like a strict job requirement or a rule.

Question 2

Why are the words zu verriegeln placed at the very end of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

This construction acts exactly like a modal verb. The conjugated verb (haben) takes the normal second position in the sentence, and the infinitive phrase (zu verriegeln) gets pushed all the way to the end. The direct object (das Gehege) gets sandwiched in between them.

Question 3

Why use verriegeln instead of a common word like schließen or abschließen?

Accepted Answer

schließen simply means 'to close', and abschließen usually means 'to lock' with a key. verriegeln specifically means to bolt, bar, or latch something securely. For an animal enclosure (das Gehege), you definitely want to make sure it is bolted shut!

Question 4

How can I tell if Tierpfleger is singular or plural here?

Accepted Answer

Many German nouns describing professions that end in -er don't change their spelling in the plural. We know this is plural ('the zookeepers') for two reasons: it uses the plural article die instead of the masculine singular der, and the verb haben is conjugated for the plural 'they'.

Die Tierpfleger haben das Gehege zu verriegeln.

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