The Ultimate Guide to the German Preposition “zu”

This is the third in a series of posts in which I look at prepositions and other small confusing words.

Other guides in this series:
auf
an

These tiny but important words often cause problems for learners. This is because they rarely correspond one-to-one between languages.

In each post, I will choose a preposition or small word and look at all of its common meanings and uses in detail.

If you don’t understand anything on this page, feel free to get in touch or book a call with me and I will be happy to help.

General Tip for Prepositions
Never learn a single translation for a preposition. Don’t assume it’s used in the same way as it is in your native language. Instead, learn the preposition in contexts and understand the actual meaning it conveys in that specific context. Over time you will develop an intuitive feeling for what the preposition means more generally.

Hör genau zu!

Today I want to look at the word zu in detail. This is a small word in German with lots of important functions.

zu is usually translated to English as “to”, but this is a very approximate translation, and you should be aware that this doesn’t cover all of the meanings. Translating it literally in all contexts will cause you major problems.

Dative

We’re very lucky with the word zu! Unlike some words like auf and an where the case you use depends on whether there is movement, zu always uses the dative case!

Here’s a reminder of how zu changes different nouns and pronouns into the dative case.

Make sure to practise the way zu changes nouns and pronouns so that you know the right form instinctively. I found it helpful to repeat them to myself throughout the day: “zu mir, zu dir, zu ihm, zu ihr” and so on.

Definite Articles (der words)

gender	nominative form	zu + dative	meaning
m.	der Bahnhof	zum Bahnhof	to the station
f.	die Bäckerei	zur Bäckerei	to the bakery
n.	das Wasser	zum Wasser	to the water
pl.	die Häuser	zu den Häusern (don’t forget to add an -n in dative plural)	to the houses

Indefinite Articles (ein words)

gender	nominative form	zu + dative	meaning
m.	ein Supermarkt	zu einem Supermarkt	to a supermarket
f.	eine Tankstelle	zu einer Tankstelle	to a service station
n.	ein Straßenfest	zu einem Straßenfest	to a street festival
pl.	Städte	(don’t forget to add an -n in dative plural) zu Städten	to cities

Pronouns

gender	nom	acc (just a reminder)	zu + dative	meaning
	ich	mich	zu mir	to me
	du	dich	zu dir	to you
m.	er	ihn	zu ihm	to him
f.	sie	sie	zu ihr	to her
n.	es	es	zu ihm	to it
	wir	uns	zu uns	to us
pl.	sie	sie	zu ihnen	to them
	Sie	Sie	zu Ihnen	to you (formal)
	ihr	euch	zu euch	to you (pl.)

Just remember that zu always goes with the parts in the zu columns above. You will never ever ever EVER see things like zu dich, zu ihn, zu die, zu eine.

The Meanings of zu

1. Specifying the goal of motion

The most common meaning of zu is to specify the goal of motion. This is very similar to the English word “to”.

Geh zu dem Haus dort drüben!	Go to that house over there!
Wir fahren zum See.	We’re driving to the lake.
Ich muss zur Arbeit.	I have to go to work.
Leg das Buch zu den anderen!	Put the book with the other ones.
Ich bin zu einer Party eingeladen. (or: auf eine Party)	I’m invited to a party.
Ich fahr zu dir.	I’ll come to your place. (fahren = by car/train/bus/bike etc.)
Er sprang zur Seite.	He jumped aside.

2. To indicate that something is required in order to do something

Zum Fallschirmspringen braucht man Nerven aus Stahl.	You need nerves of steel to skydive.
Zum Malen brauchst du einen Pinsel und Farbe.	You need paint and a paintbrush to paint.
Zum Schlittschuhlaufen braucht man Schlittschuhe.	You need ice skates to ice-skate.
Zum Fotografieren brauchst du eine Kamera.	You need a camera to take photos.

3. Used with a verb or gerund to indicate that something has to be done

Das zu reparierende Auto befindet sich zurzeit in der Werkstatt.	The car that has to be repaired is currently in the workshop.
Die zu erwartenden Einnahmen betragen mehrere Millionen Euro.	The expected revenue amounts to several million euros.
Die Hausaufgaben sind bis Mittwoch zu erledigen.	The homework is to be done by Wednesday.

4. Showing that something goes with something else

zu can indicate that something goes with or complements something else, usually when referring to food.

Ich nehme Zucker zum Kaffee.	I take sugar with my coffee.
Eine Prise Salz zur Suppe geben.	Add a pinch of salt to the soup.
Was gibt’s dazu?	What’s it served with? (Referring to food)

5. Specifying the goal or purpose of something

zu can be used to indicate the goal or purpose of something.

Sie nimmt Tabletten zur Beruhigung.	She takes tablets to calm her nerves.
Was hast du ihr zum Geburtstag geschenkt?	What did you give her for her birthday?
Lass uns zur Abwechslung den anderen Weg fahren.	Let’s go the other way for a change.
Das habe ich nur zum Spaß gesagt.	I only said that as a joke.
Du solltest die Situation zu deinem Vorteil ausnutzen.	You should use the situation to your advantage.
Zur weiteren Behandlung wurde er an einen Facharzt überwiesen.	He was referred to a specialist doctor for further treatment.
Ich habe dem Kind zum Trost ein Eis gekauft.	I bought the child an ice cream as a consolation.
Ich brauche etwas Warmes zum Anziehen.	I need something warm to wear.

6. Used with infinitive verbs (note exceptions!)

zu is often used with infinitive verbs in the subordinate clause. However, some verbs combine with a second verb without zu (compare this to English “I can eat an apple.” vs. “I want to eat an apple.”), and do so in the main clause (“sentence bracket”) instead of triggering a second clause.

Verbs that require zu to be omitted from their second verb are:

• modal verbs (müssen, sollen, können, dürfen, wollen)
• gehen, fahren, bleiben, lassen, sehen, hören

Note that these verbs themselves can be combined with zu. I am specifically talking about the verb they combine with.

If these rules sound confusing, don’t worry. Just look at the example sentences and make a habit of paying attention whenever you encounter a verb with zu. I promise that the deep learning algorithm in your brain will figure it out automatically given enough examples.

Ich versuche, die Tür aufzumachen.	I’m trying to open the door.
Morgen habe ich vor, früh aufzustehen.	I plan to get up early tomorrow.
Ich werde morgen um 9 Uhr aufstehen. (zu omitted because of werden)	I’ll get up at 9 am tomorrow.
Es ist schwierig, bei dieser Hitze einzuschlafen.	It’s difficult to fall asleep with this heat.
Sie ist nicht fähig, sich zu konzentrieren.	She is not capable of concentrating.
Er hat alle gebeten zu schweigen.	He asked everyone to keep quiet.
Wir freuen uns, das endlich geschafft zu haben.	We are happy to have finally achieved this.
Ich möchte heute Nachmittag einkaufen gehen. (zu omitted because of möchte)	I would like to go grocery shopping this afternoon.
Es macht Spaß, Deutsch zu lernen.	It’s fun to learn German.
Das Dorf kann man erreichen, ohne den Zug nehmen zu müssen.	You can reach the village without having to take the train.
Es war leicht zu sehen.	It was easy to see.

7. As part of a separable verb

Not technically a preposition but I’ve included it for completeness.

zu is often part of a separable verb. It modifies the verb and often adds the meaning of closing or covering something, moving towards something or grabbing/closing something. This is just a general rule, however. There are many verbs that start with zu- and their meanings are often unpredictable.

etw. (acc) zulassen Die Brücke ist nur für Fußgänger zugelassen.	to authorise, allow sth. The bridge is only authorised for pedestrians.
auf jn. zukommen Er ist auf mich zugekommen.	to come up to sb. He came up to me.
jm. etw. zurufen Sie rief ihm die richtige Antwort zu.	to call or shout sth. to sb. She shouted out the right answer to him.
etw. (acc) zudecken Deck dich gut zu, damit du nicht frierst.	to cover sth. Tuck yourself up well so you don’t get cold.
auf etw. (acc) zugreifen Das Programm versucht, auf das Internet zuzugreifen.	to access sth. (e.g. information) The program attempts to access the internet.
etw. (acc) zumachen Soll ich das Fenster zumachen?	to close sth. Should I close the window?
jm. zustimmen Ich stimme dir zu.	to agree with sb. I agree with you.
zufrieren Der See ist zugefroren.	to freeze over The lake is frozen over.

Tip: Make sure not to confuse prepositions (ich fahre zu dir) with the separating part of separable verbs (ich stimme dir zu), as they look the same!

8. In fixed phrases to specify where someone or something is, or a method of travel

In very specific set phrases, zu can be used to specify where someone or something is, or a method of travel. The most common ones are zu Hause (at home), zu Fuß (by foot) and zu Besuch (visiting.) These are pretty much the only ones you will hear frequently. The others are rare or archaic and not necessary to learn actively, but I have included a few examples here for completeness.

Ich bin zu Hause.	I’m at home.
Wir haben Leute zu Besuch.	We have people visiting.
Wir gehen zu Fuß.	We’re going by foot.
Er kam zu Pferd.	He came on horseback.
Sie fuhren zu Schiff nach Südamerika.	They went to South America by ship.
zu Gast	“here as guests” in a more formal sense than zu Besuch
zu Tisch	at the table, dining, in a formal sense
zu Lande und zu Wasser	on land and at sea

9. Specifying a point in time or period of time

zu is used to specify a point in time or a period of time.

Zu Weihnachten lag kein Schnee.	There was no snow at Christmas.
Zu Beginn war alles ganz einfach.	Everything was quite simple at the beginning.
Beides geschah zur selben Zeit.	Both things happened at the same time.
Du kommst gerade zur rechten Zeit.	You’ve come just at the right time.
Das habe ich letztes Jahr zum ersten Mal erlebt.	I experienced that for the first time last year.

10. bis zu, meaning up to, up until

zu is used in the phrase bis zu meaning “up to” a specific quantity or “up until” a specific time.

Die Wartezeit beträgt bis zu einer Stunde.	The waiting time is up to one hour.
Surfen Sie mit bis zu 250 Mbit/s ab nur 29,95 € monatlich.	Surf at up to 250 mbit/s from just €29.95 per month.
Ich warte bis zu seiner Ankunft hier.	I’m gonna wait here until he arrives.
Sie begleitete mich bis zum Bahnhof.	She accompanied me to the station. (with a sense of “but no further”)

11. Too much, too little, too big, too small etc.

zu can be used with an adjective or adverb to mean “too much” or “too little”, just like in English.

In der Suppe ist zu viel Salz.	There’s too much salt in the soup.
Ich habe zu viele Fehler gemacht.	I’ve made too many mistakes.
Das Kleid ist zu groß.	The dress is too big.
Sie weiß zu viel.	She knows too much.
Das ist viel zu wenig. Wir brauchen mehr.	That’s far too little. We need more.
Du fährst zu schnell!	You’re driving too fast!

12. Specifying the number of people.

zu can be used to specify the number of people in a group.

Wir sind zu dritt.	There’s three of us.
Wir waren nur zu zweit.	There were only two of us.
Die Zuschauer kamen zu Hunderten.	The spectators came in their hundreds.
Wir haben zu viert im Zimmer übernachtet.	Four of us spent the night in the room.

13. Specifying the result of a transformation, change in status, or change in state of a material

zu can be used to specify something that something has transformed into as the result or consequence of an action or development.

Das Wasser ist zu Eis geworden.	The water turned to ice.
Das Schloss ist zu einem Krankenhaus umgebaut worden.	The castle has been converted into a hospital.
Einige der Knochen sind so alt, dass sie tatsächlich in den Händen zu Staub zerfallen.	Some of the bones are so old that they literally turn to dust in your hands.

14. Closed

zu can mean “closed” (referring to a shop or object).

The opposite of zu is auf.

Der Laden ist zu.	The shop is closed.
Die Tür ist zu.	The door is closed.
Opposite: Dein Schuh ist auf.	Your shoelaces are undone.
Opposite: Die Tür ist auf.	The door is open.

15. In lots of verb constructions, especially with bringen and kommen

zu is often used in common verb phrases, especially with bringen and kommen.

kommen is generally used when something reaches the state on its own (intransitive sense), and bringen is generally used when something actively causes something to reach the new state (transitive sense).

zum Einsatz kommen Materialien wie Kunststoff oder Metall können auch zum Einsatz kommen.	to be used, employed Materials such as plastic or metal can also be used.
zur Sache kommen Komm endlich zur Sache!	to get down to business, to get to the point Get to the point!
zur Vernunft kommen Nachdem die in Spanien lebenden Briten, die für den Brexit gestimmt hatten, abgeschoben wurden, kamen sie zur Vernunft.	to come to one’s senses After the Brits living in Spain who voted for Brexit were deported, they came to their senses.
etw. (acc) zum Stehen bringen Der Unfall hat den Verkehr zum Stehen gebracht.	to bring something to a standstill The accident brought the traffic to a standstill.
etw. zur Verfügung stellen Die Universität stellt Computer für jeden Kursteilnehmer zur Verfügung.	to make something available, provide something The university provides computers for every participant of the course.
jn. zum Lachen bringen Er hat alle zum Lachen gebracht.	to make sb. laugh He made everyone laugh.

16. Used to indicate the result or current standing of a game

Es steht 2 zu 1 für England.	It’s 2-1 to England.
(add another example here please!!)

17. Used to indicate to what extent something applies

Das ist nur zum Teil richtig.	That’s only partially correct.
Der Saal war nur zur Hälfte gefüllt.	The auditorium was only half full.
Ich bin mir zu 90% sicher.	I’m 90% sure.

18. Used to indicate the name or location of a building

zu can be used to indicate the location of a building or in the names of inns and guesthouses. This is quite a rare use but I’ve included it for completeness.

der Dom zu Köln	the cathedral of Cologne
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin	Humboldt University of Berlin
Zum Grünen Drachen	“at the sign of the Green Dragon” (names of pubs are sometimes translated into English like this)
Zur Alten Post	The Old Post Office

These are all of the meanings of zu that I can come up with, but there are likely a few I’ve missed. If you can think of any others or if you find any mistakes then please let me know!

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