zum
Translation
to the, for the
Examples
Ich gehe zum Bahnhof.
I'm going to the station.
Wir treffen uns zum Abendessen.
We are meeting for dinner.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!
Happy birthday!
Grammar Patterns
((to+3)) ((a place)) to go to ((a place)) Ich gehe zum Supermarkt.
((for+3)) ((a purpose)) to meet for ((a purpose)) Wir treffen uns zum Lernen.
Similar Words
im (in dem), am (an dem), ins (in das)
Etymology
A contraction of the preposition 'zu' (to) and the dative masculine/neuter definite article 'dem' (the).
Memory Tips
Remember that 'zu' always takes the dative case. 'zum' is used before masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns in the dative.