Abzuschließen

Abzuschließen is a German verb with several related meanings centered on bringing something to a conclusion. It commonly denotes both physically closing or locking something and making a matter final or complete. The most frequent uses are: to lock a door or container (abschließen); to finish a task, project, or process; and to conclude or finalize an agreement or contract.

Grammatically abzuschließen is a separable verb. In present tense forms the prefix schließt is separated: Ich schließe die Tür ab. In the perfect tense the verb is used with haben: Ich habe die Tür abgeschlossen. The adjective form abgeschlossenen is used in compounds and phrases such as ein abgeschlossenes Studium or ein abgeschlossenes Projekt. In business or legal language one also says “einen Vertrag abschließen” (to conclude or sign a contract), and the passive “Der Vertrag wurde abgeschlossen.”

With an infinitive clause and zu, it can also appear in formal statements: Es bleibt abzuschließen, dass … meaning that something remains to be concluded or finalized. Distinctions exist between physical closure abschließen, and abstract closure abschließen in the sense of finalizing arrangements. Etymologically, the prefix ab- signals separation or completion, deriving from the core verb schließen (to close).

Related terms include schließen (to close in a general sense), beenden (to end), fertigstellen (to complete), and finalisieren (to finalize), which are used in slightly different contexts.