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Suppose I want to write a sentence with the verb zumachen. It is composite, so in past participles and in constructs as zu + infinitive the added particles go between the prefix and the main verb.

How should I then say:

I want to close the window ?

Is it:

Ich will, das Fenster zuzumachen?

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    As far as I know, the zu in zu + infinitive constructs is never graphically linked to the verb to which it adheres. Or maybe I'm dead wrong about it.
    – indoxica
    Jul 26, 2013 at 13:59
  • @indoxica: Indeed, you are wrong. Verbs with separable prefixes have the zu after the prefix, but the form is written without spaces. Thus zuzumachen is correct.
    – chirlu
    Jul 26, 2013 at 14:11
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    @chirlu Good to know. As I'm but a poor apprentice in the German language, it's always good to know everything pertaining to it.
    – indoxica
    Jul 26, 2013 at 14:22
  • I suppose it's because it's poor: I should have looked up on the Internet for the existence of "zuzumachen". Moreover, my English sentence and my German translation do not match: the second one is wrong because no additional zu was required.
    – martina
    Jul 27, 2013 at 20:28

1 Answer 1

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You just use it in the original form:

Ich will das Fenster zumachen (I want to close the window)

An example for 'zuzumachen':

Ich vergaß das Fenster zuzumachen (I forgot to close the window)

But honestly, I can't tell you the grammatical rule when to use which. Maybe someone else can help. Wiktionary calls the second form "erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv" (extended infinitive active):

http://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/zuzumachen

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