In the following sentence: “Fangen Sie auch an, Deutsch ernst zu studieren?” Why “zu” was used? Can I say only: “…Deutsch ernst studieren?”
I suppose you can speak English.
The English translation of this sentence: Let’s start to study seriously German.
Why don’t you ask about TO before study: to study?
‘Zu’ in German is like ‘to’ before the infinitive in English.
The difference is only that we use the second verb after the first verb in English and we put the second verb with ‘zu’ at the end of the sentence in German.
Good luck!- Viel Erfolg!
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Thank you, Evgueny. Clearer now!
In addition to Evgueny’s correct answer I’d like to add, that I would say “ernsthaft” instead of “ernst”. I guess ernsthaft is the adverbial form of ernst. At least that’s how I’d use it as a native German.
And it also sounds more natural to put it before “Deutsch”: Fangen Sie auch an, ernsthaft Deutsch zu studieren?
I think if you put it in front of “zu studieren” it emphasizes “studieren”. Before “Deutsch” it’s neutrally refering to the whole process of studying German.
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Thank you, Dirk!
I agree and I would also replace “studieren” with “lernen”. In German we use “studieren” if you study at a university (and in a few other cases in the sense of “reading thoroughly”, for example like in “Ich habe jetzt die Unterlagen, die Sie mir gegeben haben, genau studiert und komme zu dem Schluss, dass…”). If someone tells me “Ich studiere Deutsch”, I assume he studies German at a university.