sinn ... ze

Must Be Done: Sinn ... Ze

Level 5

Sinn + ze + infinitive: D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg ze bezuelen. (The invoice must be paid within 30 days.) The thing is the subject, and nobody is named as the doer.

How It Works

1. How it is built
Put the right form of sinn in second place and ze with the infinitive at the end. The subject is the thing that must be handled:

  • De Formulaire ass bis Freideg auszefëllen. (The form must be filled in by Friday.)
  • D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg ze bezuelen. (The invoice must be paid within 30 days.)

You find this in forms, rules, notices and letters. In everyday talk, people more often say De Formulaire muss bis Freideg ausgefëllt ginn (see The Passive With Modal Verbs).

2. Must or can?
The sentence itself does not say which one. Context decides:

  • must: D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg ze bezuelen.
  • can / cannot: Ausserhalb vun de Bürosstonne sinn ech net ze erreechen. (Outside office hours I cannot be reached.)

With words like schwéier (hard) and einfach (easy), it always says how easily something can be done: Den Ausgang vum Labyrinth ass schwéier ze fannen. (The exit of the maze is hard to find.) With net, it often means that something cannot happen: Eng Hausse vum Bensinn ass net auszeschléissen. (A rise in the petrol price cannot be ruled out.)

3. Separable verbs
With a separable verb, ze goes between the prefix and the verb, and it is all one word: ausfëllen → auszefëllen, ausschléissen → auszeschléissen, anhuelen → anzehuelen.

4. In the past
Use war or waren: D'Festung Lëtzebuerg war schwéier anzehuelen. (The fortress of Luxembourg was hard to take.)

5. Sinn ... ze or hunn ... ze?
With hunn ... ze, the subject is the person who must act: Ech hunn nach vill ze maachen. (I still have a lot to do.) With sinn ... ze, the subject is the thing that must be done.

Examples (6)

  1. De Formulaire ass bis Freideg auszefëllen.

    The form must be filled in by Friday.

    Ausfëllen is separable, so ze goes inside: auszefëllen.

  2. D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg ze bezuelen.

    The invoice must be paid within 30 days.

    A typical line on an invoice. Here the pattern means must.

  3. Ausserhalb vun de Bürosstonne sinn ech net ze erreechen.

    Outside office hours I cannot be reached.

    Here the pattern means can: with net, cannot. Bürosstonnen loses its n before s.

  4. Den Ausgang vum Labyrinth ass schwéier ze fannen.

    The exit of the maze is hard to find.

  5. Eng Hausse vum Bensinn ass net auszeschléissen.

    A rise in the petrol price cannot be ruled out.

  6. D'Festung Lëtzebuerg war schwéier anzehuelen.

    The fortress of Luxembourg was hard to take.

    War places the pattern in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ze in front of a separable verb.

    De Formulaire ass bis Freideg ze ausfëllen.
    De Formulaire ass bis Freideg auszefëllen.

    With a separable verb, ze goes between the prefix and the verb, written as one word: auszefëllen.

  • Leaving out ze.

    D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg bezuelen.
    D'Rechnung ass bannent 30 Deeg ze bezuelen.

    Sinn cannot take a bare infinitive here. The meaning must be paid needs ze bezuelen.

  • Using sinn when the person must do something (intended meaning: I still have a lot to do).

    Ech sinn nach vill ze maachen.
    Ech hunn nach vill ze maachen.

    When the subject is the person who must act, use hunn ... ze. Sinn ... ze has the thing to be done as its subject.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

sinn ... zeLevel 5Must Be Done: Sinn ... Ze

Learn This First

Before Must Be Done: Sinn ... ze, learn Having to Do: Hunn ... ze and The Passive With Modal Verbs.

Words in This Pattern

ze