PrepositionA1

zu

to (a place, person, or event) · at (a location, especially home or a place) · for (a purpose or occasion) · too (excessively)

Zu is a very common preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'. It is used with places, events, and people, and also appears in many fixed expressions. It often translates as 'to' but can also mean 'for', 'at', or 'too' when used as an adverb.

What zu means

to (a place, person, or event) — indicating direction or destination, often with people, buildings, or events
at (a location, especially home or a place) — in fixed expressions like zu Hause (at home)
for (a purpose or occasion) — indicating purpose, e.g., zum Geburtstag (for the birthday)
too (excessively) — used as an adverb before adjectives or adverbs, e.g., zu viel (too much)

Heard in real German videos

Lines where zu was actually spoken, from German videos watched with DeutschChat.

Okay, Kinder, das geht eindeutig zu weit.Okay, kids, this is clearly going too far.
Ähm, nein, es ist mir zu dinosaurig.Um, no, it's too dinosaur-y for me.
Lis möchte lieber zu Hause bleiben.Lis would rather stay home.

Example sentences

Ich gehe zu meiner Freundin.I'm going to my girlfriend's place.
Wir fahren zum Flughafen.We are driving to the airport.
Das ist zu teuer.That is too expensive.
Er bleibt heute zu Hause.He is staying at home today.

Grammar

Case	Dative
Contractions	zum = zu dem, zur = zu der

Zu always takes the dative case. It contracts with dem to zum and der to zur.

Common phrases

zu Hauseat home
zum Glückluckily
zu weittoo far
zu vieltoo much
zu Fußon foot

The mistake English speakers make

English speakers often confuse zu with nach. Use nach for cities, countries (without articles), and directions (e.g., nach Berlin, nach links), but zu for people, buildings, and events (e.g., zu mir, zum Arzt).

Don’t confuse it with

nach — Nach is used for geographical destinations without articles and directions, while zu is used for people, buildings, and events.
um — Um is used for specific times (um 8 Uhr) and to mean 'around', while zu is used for purposes and destinations.

Questions learners ask

When do I use zu vs nach?

Use zu for people, buildings, events, and in fixed expressions like zu Hause. Use nach for cities, countries without articles, and directions like nach links.

What case does zu take?

Zu always takes the dative case. For example: zu dem Mann (to the man), zu der Frau (to the woman).

What does zu mean when used before an adjective?

Before an adjective or adverb, zu means 'too' as in 'excessively'. For example: zu schnell (too fast), zu viel (too much).