VERB +GERUND/INFINITIVE

The gerund and the infinitive are forms of the verbs that act as names. The gerund is formed with "-ing" (walking, eating, etc.)

A gerund is a verb in its ing (present participle) form that functions as a noun that names an activity rather than a person or thing. Any action verb can be made into a gerund.

An infinitive is a verb form that acts as other parts of speech in a sentence. It is formed with to + base form of the verb. Ex: to buy, to work.

When a verb follows another verb, we always need to use the infinitive or the gerund. Normally we use the infinitive after some verbs and the gerund after others. There are also verbs with which we can use the gerund or the infinitive

Verbo	Gerundio	Infinitivo
afford		X
agree		X
attempt		X
begin	X	X
choose		X
continue	X	X
decide		X
detest	X
enjoy	X
expect		X
fail		X
finish	X
hate	X	X
hope		X
imagine	X
intend		X
keep	X
learn		X
like	X	X
love	X	X
manage		X
need		X
offer		X
plan		X
prefer	X	X
promise		X
quit	X
recommend	X
refuse		X
regret	X
seem		X
start	X	X
suggest	X
tend		X
threaten		X
tolerate	X
try	X	X
understand	X
want		X
wish	X	X

Examples:

I can’t afford to buy a new car.(No puedo permitirme comprar un coche nuevo.)

He began to doubt himself. / He began doubting himself.(Comenzó a dudar de sí mismo.)

They decided to move to Australia in May.(Decidieron mudarse a Australia en Mayo.)

I enjoy listening to music.(Disfruto escuchando música.)

She hates studying. / She hates to study.(Odia estudiar.)

You love dancing. / You love to dance.(Te encanta bailar.)

He needed to leave class early because he had an appointment.(Tenía que salir de la clase pronto porque tenía una cita.)

She can’t tolerate complaining.(No puede tolerar quejas.)

I tried learning English. / I tried to learn English.(He intentado aprender inglés.)

My mother could retire, but she keeps working.(Mi madre podría jubilarse, pero sigue trabajando.)

We can use the gerund or the infinitive as an object, subject or complement of a phrase, but in general, it is much more common to use the gerund as a subject.

Examples:

Object:

I like cooking. / I like to cook.(Me gusta cocinar)

She continued working. / She continued to work.(Continuó trabajando.)

Subject:

Swimming is good exercise.(Nadar es un buen ejercicio)

Drinking and driving is dangerous.(Beber y conducir es peligroso.)

Complement:

The best thing to do when you are sick is to drink a lot of water.(Lo mejor que puedes hacer cuando estás enfermo es beber mucha agua.)

My favorite exercise is swimming.(Mi ejercicio favorito es la natación.) With some verbs, when we use the gerund and the infinitive, the meaning changes.  forget (olvidar)  mean (significar)  remember (recordar)  stop (parar) Examples Gerund: I forgot writing that email.(Me olvidé que escribí ese correo electrónico.) Infinitive: I forgot to write that email.(Me olvidé de escribir el correo electrónico.)

Here are some of the most common verbs that are usually followed by the gerund.

• enjoy: I enjoyed living in France.
• fancy: I fancy seeing a film tonight.
• discuss: We discussed going on holiday together.
• dislike: I dislike waiting for buses.
• finish: We've finished preparing for the meeting.
• mind: I don't mind coming early.
• suggest: He suggested staying at the Grand Hotel.
• recommend: They recommended meeting earlier.
• keep: He kept working, although he felt ill.
• avoid: She avoided talking to her boss.

And here are some common verbs followed by 'to' and the infinitive.

• agree: She agreed to give a presentation at the meeting.
• ask*: I asked to leave early / I asked him to leave early.
• decide: We decided to go out for dinner.
• help*: He helped to clean the kitchen / he helped his flatmate to clean the kitchen.
• plan: She plans to buy a new flat next year.
• hope: I hope to pass the exam.
• learn: They are learning to sing.
• want*: I want to come to the party / I want him to come to the party.
• would like*: I would like to see her tonight / I would like you to see her tonight.
• promise: We promised not to be late.