GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES Form and Uses

Form  Gerund: you add –ing to a verb:  ie. Meet > Meeting  Infinitive: you add “to” before the base form of a verb:  ie. Meet > To meet

Uses: the gerund  We use the gerund:  After some verbs: Suggest, recommend, like/dislike/prefer, love/hate, enjoy, finish, miss, continue, avoid, go+activity, risk, keep. ie. I suggested going to the cinema (Propuse ir al cine)

 In some expressions: Feel like (Tener ganas de) It´s no use (No merece la pena) Get used to / Be used to (Estar acostumbrandose / Estar acostumbrado) Can´t stand (No poder soportar) Can´t help (No poder evitar) Don´t mind (no importar) ie. I don´t mind cleaning my room Uses: the gerund

 As subject in a sentence when we talk about general actions ie. Finding solutions to some problems is not easy (Encontrar soluciones a algunos problemas no es fácil) Uses: the gerund

 After prepositions ie. I´m interested in studying maths By (to say how to do something): You can get to sleep by wearing this watch-like gadget For (to describe the function or purpose of something): It’s a gadget for opening bottles. After, before, … Uses: the gerund

Uses: the infinitive + TO  After some verbs, such as:  Want / wish / hope / expect  Agree  Appear / seem  Choose / Continue  Decide  Learn /manage  Plan  Promise /ask /prepare / pretend  Refuse ie. I want to travel around the country next year

 After some adjectives and adverbs Happy to Slowly to ie. I´m happy to be here / He ran too slowly to win Uses: the infinitive + TO

 After the indirect object of some verbs, such as: ADVISE, INVITE, TELL, WARN, TEACH, PERSUADE ie. He advised me to go to the doctor (Me aconsejó que fuese al médico) His mother wants him to tidy his bedroom. (Su madre quiere que él ordene su habitación) The teacher is asking us to sing a song. (La profesora nos está pidiendo que cantemos una canción) Uses: the infinitive + TO

 Verbs related to perception (HEAR, FEEL, SEE,…) and MAKE / LET are followed by infinitive without to  ie. I saw Eric leave the office / Their parents make them clean their room Uses: the infinitive without TO

VERBS FOLLOWED BY EITHER A GERUND OR AN INFINITIVE  Begin  Propose (proponer)  Forbid  Intend (tener la intención de)  ie.They started answering the letter / They started to answer the letter

VERBS WITH A CHANGE OF MEANING  Stop gerund = stop doing something that you are doing  Stop infinitive = stop doing something that you are doing to start another activity  ie. He stopped going out with Mary (Dejó de salir con Mary) / He stopped to have a coffee (Paró para tomar un café)

 Remember gerund = an action in the past  Remember infinitive = an action in the future  I remember meeting him at a party / I remembered to close the window VERBS WITH A CHANGE OF MEANING

 Forget gerund = we have forgotten something that happened  Forget infinitive = we have forgotten something we had to do  ie. I forgot seeing him at a party / I forgot to close the door VERBS WITH A CHANGE OF MEANING

 Try gerund = do something to see what happens  Try infinitive = attempt something difficult  ie. Patiens who tried having acupuncture had fewer headaches. / He tried to stop smoking last year VERBS WITH A CHANGE OF MEANING