Learning English properly takes time, but mainly a lot of study, especially when it comes to verb tenses, as most learners struggle to differentiate between infinitives and gerunds. However, understanding when to use each verb form is essential for clear and effective communication.
That’s why, in this Fun Talk article we’re going to tell you when to put gerund or infinitive in English. Read on to find out!
Grammatical difference between English infinitives and gerunds
To understand when to use the infinitive or the gerund, it is crucial to know the grammatical difference between the two forms.
Fortunately, just as in Spanish, both verb tenses have specific characteristics that differentiate them at a glance and, in addition, their translation is usually different as well.
On the one hand, the infinitive is the base form of the verb and is easy to recognize because it is always preceded by“to,” as in“to eat” or“to study“.
In Spanish, this “to” would be the equivalent of the “-er” or “-ar” ending (to eat or to study).
On the other hand, the gerund is the form of the verb that ends in “-ingas in“eating” or“studying“, referring to the concrete action in which something is being done.
In Spanish, it would come to mean the same as “-ndo” (eating, studying).
Examples of gerund and infinitive in English
When to use the infinitive in English
Infinitives are commonly used to form complex verb tenses.
Therefore, they are often written after certain verbs such as“want,”“plan,” or“decide,” as well as after adjectives such as“happy” or“eager.”
Here are some examples:
-
- I want to eat
- She is happy to help.
In addition, infinitives are also used after certain nouns and expressions, such as“a plan to,““an opportunity to,” or“the ability to.”
For example:
- He has a plan to travel.
- She has the ability to solve problems.
When to use gerunds in English
On the other hand, gerunds are used after verbs that imply ongoing actions, such as ”
enjoy,” ”
love,” or ”
prefer:
- I enjoy reading
- They prefer swimming.
But, in addition, they can also function as subjects of a sentence or as a complement, as in the following cases :
- Swimming is a great exercise.
- I am good at cooking.
When to use the infinitive or gerund in English
As you can imagine, choosing when to use one verb tense or the other depends entirely on the context and the sentence you want to formulate. Here we have given you some basic guidelines on when to use the infinitive or gerund, but it should be noted that in a language like English there are always exceptions.
Therefore, fully understanding when to use each verb form can be a challenge. If you need help memorizing verb tenses and want to deepen your knowledge of the language, we invite you to join our English classes. At our English school, we believe that teaching can be fun, so we use dynamic and stimulating learning formulas for all students.
It doesn’t matter what level or age you are!
At Fun Talk there will be a place for you and we will help you to express yourself correctly in all verb tenses.