The gerund and the infinitive are forms of verbs that act as nouns. The gerund is formed using the ending “-ing” (walking, eating, etc…). As we saw in the verbs lesson, the infinitive is formed using the preposition “to” (to walk, to eat, etc…).
The gerund and the infinitive are forms of verbs that act as nouns. The gerund is formed using the ending “-ing” (walking, eating, etc…). As we saw in the verbs lesson, the infinitive is formed using the preposition “to” (to walk, to eat, etc…).
Grammatical Rules
1. When one verb is followed by another verb, that verb must be in the gerund or the infinitive. Generally, we use the infinitive after some verbs and the gerund after others, but there are some verbs with which we can use either the gerund of the infinitive.
| Verb |
Gerund |
Infinitive |
| 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 |
| |
I can’t afford to buy a new car.
|
| |
He began to doubt himself. / He began doubting himself.
|
| |
They decided to move to Australia in May.
|
| |
I enjoy listening to music.
|
| |
She hates studying. / She hates to study.
|
| |
You love dancing. / You love to dance.
|
| |
He needed to leave class early because he had an appointment.
|
| |
She can’t tolerate complaining.
|
| |
I tried learning English. / I tried to learn English.
|
| |
My mother could retire, but she keeps working.
|
2. We can use the gerund or the infinitive as the object, subject or complement of a sentence, but in general it is more common to use the gerund as the subject.
| |
I like cooking. / I like to cook.
|
| |
She continued working. / She continued to work.
|
| |
Swimming is good exercise.
|
| |
Drinking and driving is dangerous.
|
| |
The best thing to do when you are sick is to drink a lot of water.
|
| |
My favorite exercise is swimming.
|
3. With some verbs, the meaning of the sentence can change with the use of the gerund or the infinitive.
forget, mean, remember, stop…
| |
I forgot writing that email.(Meaning: I wrote the email, but I forgot that I wrote it.)
|
| |
I forgot to write that email.(Meaning: I never wrote the email.)
|
| |
Stop watching the news.(Meaning: Stop watching the news.)
|
| |
Stop to watch the news.(Meaning: Stop what you are doing and watch the news.)
|
4. The infinitive is used after adjectives.
disappointed, glad, happy, pleased, relieved, sad,
surprised…
| |
She was surprised to find the door unlocked.
|
5. Only the gerund can be used after prepositions.
about, against, at, after, before, by, on,
without…
| |
I always read before going to bed.
|
| |
You can’t leave without saying goodbye.
|
6. The gerund is used after certain nouns.
advantage/disadvantage of, danger of, experience in,
interested in, opportunity of, reason for, problem with…
| |
What is the advantage of waiting?
|
| |
I am interested in taking an English class.
|
| |
His problem finding a new job was his lack of experience.
|
7. The gerund is also used after some expressions and phrasal verbs.
to look forward to, to be worth, can’t help, don’t mind,
feel like…
| |
We’re really looking forward to seeing you.
|
| |
That movie was not worth seeing.
|
| |
I can’t help falling in love.
|
El gerundio y el infinitivo son formas de los verbos que actúan como nombres. El gerundio se forma con “-ing” (walking, eating, etc.). Como hemos visto en la lección sobre los verbos, el infinitivo se forma con la preposición “to” (to walk, to eat, etc.).
El gerundio y el infinitivo son formas de los verbos que actúan como nombres. El gerundio se forma con “-ing” (walking, eating, etc.). Como hemos visto en la lección sobre los verbos, el infinitivo se forma con la preposición “to” (to walk, to eat, etc.).
Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)
1. Cuando un verbo sigue a otro verbo, siempre necesitamos usar el infinitivo o el gerundio. Normalmente usamos el infinitivo después de algunos verbos y el gerundio después de otros. También hay verbos con los que podemos usar el gerundio o el infinitivo.
| 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 |
Ejemplos:
| |
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.)
|
2. Podemos usar el gerundio o el infinitivo como objeto, sujeto o complemento de una frase, pero en general, es mucho más común usar el gerundio como sujeto.
Ejemplos:
Objeto:
| |
I like cooking. / I like to cook.(Me gusta cocinar)
|
| |
She continued working. / She continued to work.(Continuó trabajando.)
|
Sujeto:
| |
Swimming is good exercise.(Nadar es un buen ejercicio)
|
| |
Drinking and driving is dangerous.(Beber y conducir es peligroso.)
|
Complemento:
| |
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.)
|
3. Con algunos verbos, cuando usamos el gerundio y el infinitivo, el significado cambia.
forget (olvidar), mean (significar), remember (recordar),
stop (parar)…
Ejemplos:
Gerundio:
| |
I forgot writing that email.(Me olvidé que escribí ese correo electrónico.)
|
Infinitivo:
| |
I forgot to write that email.(Me olvidé de escribir el correo electrónico.)
|
Gerundio:
| |
Stop watching the news.(Deja de ver las noticias)
|
Infinitivo:
| |
Stop to watch the news.(Para, para ver las noticias.)
|
4. Se usa el infinitivo después de adjetivos.
disappointed (decepcionado), glad (contento), happy (feliz),
pleased (satisfecho), relieved (aliviado), sad (triste),
surprised (sorprendido)…
Ejemplos:
| |
I’m glad to see you.(Me alegro de verte.)
|
| |
She was surprised to find the door unlocked.(Se sorprendió al encontrar la puerta abierta.)
|
5. Después de preposiciones solo podemos usar el gerundio.
about (sobre), against (contra), at (a), after (después de),
before (antes), by (por), on (en), without (sin)…
Ejemplos:
| |
He’s good at listening.(Escucha bien.)
|
| |
I always read before going to bed.(Siempre leo antes de acostarme.)
|
| |
You can’t leave without saying goodbye.(No puedes salir sin despedirte.)
|
6. Se usa el gerundio después de unos nombres.
advantage/disadvantage of (la ventaja de, la desventaja de),
danger of (el peligro de), experience in (experiencia en),
interested in (interesado en), opportunity of (oportunidad de),
reason for (la razón de), problem with (el problema con)…
Ejemplos:
| |
What is the advantage of waiting?(¿Cuál es la ventaja de esperar?)
|
| |
I am interested in taking English classes.(Estoy interesado en tomar clases de inglés.)
|
| |
His problem finding a new job was his lack of experience.(Su problema para encontrar un nuevo empleo era su falta de experiencia.)
|
7. Se usa el gerundio después de unas expresiones o verbos frasales.
to look forward to (tener ganas de), to be worth (valer),
can’t help (no poder evitar), don’t mind (no importarse),
feel like (no apetecerse)…
Ejemplos:
| |
We’re really looking forward to seeing you.(Tenemos muchas ganas de verte.)
|
| |
That movie is not worth seeing.(No vale la pena ver esa película.)
|
| |
I can’t help falling in love.(No puedo evitar enamorarme.)
|
