I. Theory
The preposition zu is often found before infinitives in German, much like “to” is in English. However, in German, zu is not present when there is a modal verb plus an infinitive. Therefore, zu is most frequently seen when the infinitive in question is in its own clause (an Infinitivsatz) or used in conjunction with a verb that is not a modal verb.For example:
| Ich muss meine Hausaufgaben machen (no “zu” due to modal verb). I must do my homework. |
But
| Ich habe vergessen, meine Hausaufgaben zu machen. I forgot to do my homework. |
In the sentence above, we see th