List of 90 Words and Phrases that Require Infinitive Clauses

You all know that the infinitive clauses in German can refer to either the subject or object of the main clause. But what are impersonal phrases? Keep studying this lesson to find out the answer!

Here’s a list of all the words and phrases after which German infinitive clauses can be used.

Infinitive Clauses Referring to the Subject

List of Verbs that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
beabsichtigen	to intend
behaupten	to claim / assert
beschließen	to decide
dazu beitragen	to contribute
dazu neigen	to incline
dazu tendieren	to tend
drohen	to threaten
geloben	to pledge
glauben	to believe
hoffen	to hope
jdm. anbieten	to offer (to someone)
lernen	to learn
planen	to plan
schwören	to swear / vow
vereinbaren	to agree
vorhaben	to intend / plan
vergessen	to forget
versäumen	to omit / miss
versprechen	to promise
versuchen	to try
vortäuschen	to pretend
vorziehen	to prefer
zögern	to hesitate

Example:- Sie hofft, ihre Freunde bald zu treffen. (She hopes to meet her friends soon.)

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List of Reflexive Verbs that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
sich bereit erklären	to agree / consent
sich daranmachen	to proceed / begin
sich entscheiden	to decide
sich erinnern	to remember
sich leisten + Dat.	to afford
sich sehnen	to crave
sich trauen	to dare
sich verpflichten	to commit oneself
sich wagen	to dare
sich weigern	to refuse

Example:- Ich kann es mir nicht leisten, dieses Haus zu kaufen. (I cannot afford to buy this house.)

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List of Adjectives that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
bemüht	willing
bestrebt	anxious
beunruhigt	worried
entschlossen	determined
enttäuscht	disappointed
erfreut	pleased / delighted
erleichtert	relieved
froh	glad
traurig	sad
überrascht	surprised

Example:- Wir sind erfreut, das zu hören. (We are pleased to hear that.)

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List of Noun Phrases that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
die Absicht haben	to have the intention
das Angebot machen / annehmen	to make / accept an offer
in Betracht ziehen	to consider / contemplate
die Drohung aussprechen	to utter a threat
die Entscheidung treffen	to come to a decision
den Entschluss fassen	to come to a conclusion
die Hoffnung haben	to have the hope
die Neigung haben	to have the inclination
die Notwendigkeit sehen	to see the need
die Vereinbarung treffen	to reach an agreement
das Versprechen geben	to make a promise
den Versuch unternehmen	to make an attempt

Example:- Wir haben die Entscheidung getroffen, ab jetzt auf Deutsch zu sprechen. (We have reached the decision to speak in German henceforth.)

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Infinitive Clauses Referring to the Object

List of Accusative Verbs that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
bitten	to ask / request
dazu bringen	to persuade
einladen	to invite
ermutigen	to encourage
erinnern	to remind
lehren	to teach
überreden	to persuade / coax
überzeugen	to convince
veranlassen	to prompt / induce
warnen	to warn
zwingen	to force

Example:- Max ermutigt seinen Sohn, eine neue Sprache zu lernen. (Max is encouraging his son to learn a new language.)

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List of Dative Verbs that Require Infinitive Clauses

German	English
befehlen	to order
beibringen	to teach
empfehlen	to recommend
ermöglichen	to enable
erlauben	to allow
gelingen	to succeed
gestatten	to permit
helfen	to help
leichtfallen	to be easy
raten	to advise
verbieten	to forbid / prohibit

Example:- Sie empfiehlt mir, diese Körperlotion zu verwenden. (She recommends me to use this body lotion.)

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Infinitive Clauses Referring to an Impersonal Form

Impersonal words are those that are used with the impersonal pronoun “es“. The pronoun “es” acts as the subject of the sentence. We usually use the following adjectives with es.

German	English
egoistisch	egoistical
gerecht	fair / just
klug	smart / clever
kompliziert	complicated
leicht	easy
mutig	brave
schwierig	difficult
sinnlos	pointless / senseless
traurig	sad
unangenehm	unpleasant
unhöflich	impolite
unmöglich	impossible

Example:- Es ist sinnlos, sich jetzt den Krimi anzusehen. (It is pointless to watch the thriller now.)

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Want to learn how to construct infinitive sentences in German? Click here to check out our lesson on Infinitive Clauses.

Also, find out how well you understood the infinitives here.

PS – On this blog, you will find grammar lists just like this one, vocabulary lists divided subject-wise as well as articles related to countries like Germany, Austria and Switzerland and a lot more. Keep scrolling, keep learning!