Ich bin heute zu müde, um lange zu telefonieren.

to be

Breakdown of Ich bin heute zu müde, um lange zu telefonieren.

• ich: I
• heute: today
• lange: long

Questions & Answers about Ich bin heute zu müde, um lange zu telefonieren.

Why are there two instances of the word zu?

They are two different words with the same form:

• In zu müde, zu is an adverb meaning “too.”
• In um … zu telefonieren, zu is the infinitive marker used in the um … zu + infinitive construction.

Is the comma before um required?

Yes. An infinitive clause introduced by um must be set off with a comma: …, um … zu …

Can I drop um and say Ich bin heute zu müde, lange zu telefonieren?

No. In the pattern zu + adjective, um … zu + infinitive, the um is required. Without um, the sentence sounds wrong or ambiguous.

Why is it um lange zu telefonieren and not um zu lange telefonieren?

• um lange zu telefonieren = “in order to phone for a long time,” where lange (for long) is an adverb modifying the action.
• zu lange telefonieren would mean “to phone too long,” with zu again meaning “too,” which changes the meaning.
  Also, the infinitive marker zu belongs immediately with the verb: zu telefonieren.