After remind is an infinitive or gerund. When is a gerund used and when is an infinitive used? Verbs with infinitive

The grammar of a foreign language always seems to be something complicated and incomprehensible. Therefore, very often those who study English are faced with the problem of using infinitives and gerunds.

When should you use one or the other? What is the difference between a gerund and a table with words and grammatical forms cannot always help. Unfortunately, there is no clear ground rule. However, here you can find the necessary tips.

Gerund for Beginners

What kind of design is this, you ask? A gerund is a noun-like form that is formed by adding the ending -ing. For example, the word read in a gerund will sound like reading. This verb form can act as the subject or object of a sentence.

For example:

• Reading helps you study - subject.
• She likes reading -addition.

This form of the verb can also be in a negative form if you add not to it.

Some verbs need a gerund after their use (see below for a complete list of these verbs).

For example:

• She suggested eating at a cafe.

• Nancy keeps complaining about her issues.

Infinitive for Beginners

The infinitive is with the addition of the particle to. This means that the word learn in the infinitive will sound like to learn.

Like the gerund, the infinitive can act as a subject or object.

For example:

• To learn is important - subject
• The most valuable thing is to learn - addition

The infinitive can also take a negative form by adding the particle not.

As with the gerund, after a certain group of verbs you should put the initial form of the verb (see full list below).

For example:

• She wants to visit her Grandma.
• Lucy needs to cool down.

When to choose one design or another?

Both the infinitive and can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. However, the second in this case sounds like a regular Infinitive, and in turn seems a little abstract.

That is, the gerund sounds more natural and is more common in colloquial speech. The infinitive emphasizes the possibility or potential of something and sounds somehow philosophical. If you are confused by this explanation, just remember that in 90% of cases the gerund acts as the subject and object of a sentence.

For example:

• Learning is important.
• To learn is important.
• The main thing is learning.
• The main thing is to learn.

It can be difficult to know whether to choose the -ing form or the infinitive as the subject. In such cases, both structures are not mutually interchangeable. Usually the predicate determines what is needed in the sentence.

For example:

• She enjoys singing.
• She wants to sing.

Enjoyrequires the use of a gerund after itself, andwant- infinitive.

For more advanced students

Now it’s worth moving on to complicated cases where a gerund and an infinitive are needed in English. The explanatory table below will help you understand this.

Now you should have a better understanding of how to use gerunds and infinitives in English. The table with examples shows only frequently encountered cases.

Particular examples of the -ing form

When describing playing any sport, the following combination is often used: go + v-ing:

• I go jogging every morning.

This form is also used after prepositions. It’s difficult to remember all the words, but the main thing is not to forget the “verb + preposition” structure. Usually it is in this case that the gerund comes next.

For example:

• My brother made up for forgetting my birthday.
• She is thinking about moving abroad.

In cases of "adjective/noun + preposition" you should also use a gerund. If you don’t know the lists of such structures, don’t worry. Just remember that after the preposition comes a gerund:

• She is scared of sleeping in the dark - adjective + pretext.
• His desire of becoming an actor was well known - noun + pretext.

More complex use cases

Sometimes both a gerund and an infinitive can be used, but each option will have its own meaning:

• Lucy remembered writing down the address. - Lucy has memories of how she wrote down the address.
• Scott remembered to take umbrella with him. - Scott didn’t forget to take an umbrella with him.

Sometimes the infinitive and gerund in English after verbs can have a slight difference in translation:

• She likes dancing. - She likes dancing.
• She likes to dance. - She likes to dance.

Although in this case the result is almost identical in meaning, there is still a difference. The gerund assumes that you are talking about real actions and experiences. The infinitive indicates that you are talking about potential or opportunity. It is because of this slight difference in meaning that it is not always possible to interchange gerunds and infinitives in English. Table - help! Contact her for help! The following examples can be found there:

• The writer likes living in California. - The writer likes life in California.
  
• The writer likes to live in California whenever he comes to the United States. - The writer likes that he has the opportunity to live in California when he comes to the USA.

Many be + adjective combinations are used before the infinitive:

• He was anxious to start.
• She was happy to get such good critiques.

There are also nouns after which it is usually used:

• It was a wonderful decision to start anew.
• Hana's desire to work amazed me.

Some verbs before gerunds

There is a separate list of words for each case. It should be noted that sometimes you can alternate between a gerund and an infinitive in English. The table contains words suitable for both cases. Therefore, be careful. Sometimes the meaning does not change with such a replacement, in other cases the use of one form or another can completely change the translation of the sentence. Also note that you should not always translate words in the -ing form into Russian as a noun. Look for equivalents that are more suitable to our speech in sentences that use gerunds and infinitives in English. The translation table that you see below names the main ones.

Does a table help you understand the rules for gerunds and infinitives in English? You can always take a photo of the information on the board at school.

However, this way the material is poorly remembered; it is best to write it down in a notebook by hand.

When is the best time to use the initial form?

These words can also include a gerund and an infinitive in English. The table of verbs is not limited to this list; only a shortened version is presented here.

What are gerunds and infinitives in English? The verb table will help even a beginner understand the construction.

Of course, there are only basic verbs here, but they will be enough for you at first.

What's the difference between "to dance" And "dancing"? One word is an infinitive and the other is a gerund. Let's take a closer look.

When to use a gerund and when to use an infinitive?

And so, as the person talks, the same question arises. Why is that?

• I like dancing. I love to dance.
• I am fond of dancing. I love dancing (literally: “dancing”)
• Dancing is good for me. Dancing is good for me.
• I couldn't help dancing.“I couldn’t help but dance.”
• I want to dance. I want to dance.
• I've come here to dance. I came here to dance.
• It's very easy to dance. It's very easy to dance.

To dance or dance?

When a new student comes to me to study a language, the first thing I do is ask various questions to determine the level, get to know each other and anchor positive emotions towards learning English. In general, we please three birds with one stone (we don’t kill them, I love animals).

Then I tell you that to dance is an infinitive (what answers the question “what to do”), and dancing– this is a gerund (at this point I am usually asked not to express myself) – a part of speech that absorbs the functions of a verb and a noun.

To swim - to swim
Swimming - swimming

Well, now to the main thing - when to use what?

When to use a gerund?

1. After certain verbs, such as preference verbs

• Like - like;
• love - to love:
• hate - to hate;
• prefer - to prefer.

Example: I like dancing. I love to dance.

2. After prepositions

• etc.

Example: I'm fond of dancing. I love to dance.

3. As a subject

Example: Dancing is good for me. Dancing is good for me.

4. After some phrases

• There's no point - it's meaningless;
• It's no use - it's useless;
• It is worth - it’s worth it;
• Can’t help - I can’t help but.

Example: I couldn't help dancing. – I couldn’t resist dancing (I couldn’t help but dance).

When to use the infinitive?

1. After certain verbs

• Want - want;
• would like - would like;
• agree - agree;
• hope - to hope;
• choose - choose;
• come - to come;
• decide - make a decision;
• can’t afford - to be unable, not to have the opportunity;
• seem - to seem;
• learn - to teach;
• promise - to promise.

2. To indicate the reason

I’ve come here (for what?) to dance(to dance). - I came here to dance.

3. After adjectives

It's easy to dance. (Dancing is easy). Easy is an adjective (easy), so we put an infinitive after it...

It's simple. There are, however, verbs that can be followed by both an infinitive and a gerund... Let's look at a few.

• TRY TO DO- make an effort, try to do something. ( I tried to understand him, but it was just way too hard for me “I tried to understand him, but it was too difficult.);
• TRY DOING– try to do something as an experiment. ( Try pushing this button—Try to press this button.);
• REMEMBER TO DO- remember to do something ( I remembered to buy some bread on my way home“I remembered that I had to buy bread on the way home.”);
• REMEMBER DOING- remember what happened. ( I remember meeting him for the first time“I remember meeting him for the first time.”);
• STOP TO DO– stop to do some other action ( I stopped to pick up a coin— I stopped to pick up the coin.);
• STOP DOING- stop some action. ( Girls, stop talking… — Girls, stop talking. I couldn’t resist - this is my English teacher’s favorite phrase, etched in my memory.);
• REGRET TO DO- regret what will be done. ( I regret to tell you. - I'll regret it if I tell you)
• REGRET DOING- regret what has already been done. ( I regret telling her my secret“I regret telling her my secret.”

This is perhaps the most basic thing to remember to begin with.

There's only one thing to say here

Remember reading this article and remember to use infinitives and gerunds properly. - Keep this article in mind and remember to use infinitives and gerunds correctly.

Well one more thing

I love teaching you and I'd like to help you as much as possible. — I love teaching and I would like to help you as much as possible.
I couldn't help writing it. “I couldn’t help but write this.”

To reinforce the material, watch our video lesson:

That's all, how do you like the topic? Nothing complicated, right?

You might be interested in:

• Forum:
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American writer, author of numerous "books of inspiration", G. Jackson Brown, Jr. said: "Never make fun of someone who speaks broken English. It means they know another language." (Never laugh at a person who speaks poor English. After all, this means that he knows another language.) Agree, a good excuse for “clumsy” English :)

But not for us, friends, because we strive for competent speech! And therefore, we invite you to get acquainted with some of the nuances of using gerunds and infinitives, which will help avoid misunderstandings in communication.

As you know, there are verbs that require an infinitive after themselves (see Infinitive in English), and some verbs prefer a gerund (see Gerund in English). Sometimes both options are possible, but the meaning of the sentence changes, for example:

Behind the verbs begin, start, continue, intend(mean), bother(to worry) can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund without changing the meaning:

It started raining. - It started to rain.
Don"t bother locking the door. - Don"t bother to lock the door.

Verbs like, love, hate are used with both the infinitive and the gerund when talking about a regular action:

Do you like to get up early? - Do you like getting up early?
BUT! I like living in Paris. (If we are talking about the current situation)

We hope our article will help you improve your English!
Don't forget reading it and remember to use these rules!

Foreign Language Studio Double You provides English courses for beginners in groups and individually with a tutor. Sign up, you won't regret it! You should not fall into the category of people described by Jackson Browne).

English verbs are with us again, friends. You already know that in the English language there are special verbs, after which they are written a gerund or an infinitive is used. These verbs need to be memorized and put into practice as often as possible. However, there are also ambiguous verbs using both the gerund and the infinitive (like/stop/remember). I present to your attention this list with examples!

1. TRY (gerund)- try by doing something as an experiment:

>Try substituting Tom for Peter – Try to replace (put) Tom in Peter’s place.

TRY (infinitive)- using enormous efforts:

>Try to bring me my deserved reward by 6 o’clock – Try to bring me my well-deserved reward by six.

***

2. Regret (gerund)– regret that I have already done something:

>We regret doing/having done so, but we promise to start from scratch - We regret that we did so (did so), but we promise to start from scratch.

Regret (infinitive)– directed to the future: unfortunately, but I have to do something:

>I regret to say that my husband won’t congratulate you on your birthday - I beg your pardon, but I have to say now (I regret it, but) that my husband will not congratulate you on your birthday.

3. Stop (gerund)- just stop, stop doing something:

>He stopped any rules, he’s on the straight and narrow now - He has stopped breaking any laws, he is on the righteous path now (something biblical in our vocabulary for general development).

Stop (infinitive)– slow down 🙂 to do something (sigh, wave your hand):

>I stopped to call my sweetheart, therefore don’t rush me! – I stopped to call my beloved, so don’t rush me.

***

4. Remember (gerund)– I remember that I did something in the past:

>I remember giving John a parcel which he didn’t accept - I remember that I gave (as I gave) a parcel to John, which he did not accept.

Remember (infinitive)– very easy: don’t forget (I didn’t forget, I don’t forget, I won’t forget):

>Did you remember to thank your mother and father for their warm wishes? – Did you remember to thank mom and dad for their warm wishes?

>Remember to kiss the kids! – Don’t forget to kiss the children!

***

5. Prefer (gerund)– I prefer to do something in general:

>I prefer riding horses, whereas you prefer making tea in the morning - I prefer to ride horses while you prefer to make tea in the morning.

Prefer (infinitive)– right now my preferences are:

>I prefer to go to the café now, no objections please! – I prefer to go to a cafe now, and no objections please!

Thank you for your attention! I was glad to help you! Christina. Welcome to my channel YouTube CHRISTINA FAST-LANGUAGES go!

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