Gerundios e Infinitivos
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When one verb follows another, the second verb is either an -ing form (gerund) or a to-infinitive. Some verbs are always followed by -ing: enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, keep.
There's no deep logic — these patterns must be learnt. A useful memory aid: we 'enjoy doing', 'avoid doing', 'finish doing'.
Ejemplos
I enjoy reading novels.
enjoy + -ing (never 'enjoy to read').
She avoids talking about politics.
avoid + -ing.
Do you mind waiting a minute?
mind + -ing.
enjoy reading
/ɪnˈdʒɔɪ ˈriːdɪŋ/
I enjoy reading novels.
avoid talking
/əˈvɔɪd ˈtɔːkɪŋ/
She avoids talking about politics.
finish working
/ˈfɪnɪʃ ˈwɜːkɪŋ/
When do you finish working?
mind waiting
/maɪnd ˈweɪtɪŋ/
Do you mind waiting a minute?
keep trying
/kiːp ˈtraɪɪŋ/
Don't give up — keep trying!
Choose the correct form: I enjoy ___ novels.
After 'avoid' use the -ing form of 'talk': She avoids ___ about politics.
Other verbs are followed by the to-infinitive: want, decide, promise, hope, plan: 'I want to learn Italian.'
These often involve wishes, plans and intentions about the future. Again, the pattern is fixed: 'decide to go', not 'decide going'.
Ejemplos
I want to learn Italian.
want + to-infinitive.
We decided to leave early.
decide + to + base verb.
They plan to travel next summer.
plan + to-infinitive.
want to learn
/wɒnt tə lɜːn/
I want to learn Italian.
decide to leave
/dɪˈsaɪd tə liːv/
We decided to leave early.
promise to call
/ˈprɒmɪs tə kɔːl/
I promise to call you tomorrow.
hope to see
/hoʊp tə siː/
I hope to see you soon.
plan to travel
/plæn tə ˈtrævəl/
They plan to travel next summer.
Choose the correct form: We decided ___ early.
After 'want' use to + 'learn': I want ___ Italian.
After a preposition (in, at, of, before, instead of), the verb is always in the -ing form: 'interested in learning', 'good at solving', 'before eating'.
This is a reliable rule: a verb directly after any preposition becomes -ing, never the infinitive.
Ejemplos
She is interested in learning German.
in + -ing.
He is good at solving puzzles.
at + -ing.
Let's walk instead of taking a taxi.
instead of + -ing.
interested in
/ˈɪntrəstɪd ɪn/
She is interested in learning German.
good at
/ɡʊd ət/
He is good at solving puzzles.
before going
/bɪˈfɔːr ˈɡoʊɪŋ/
Wash your hands before eating.
instead of
/ɪnˈsted əv/
Let's walk instead of taking a taxi.
Choose the correct form: She is interested in ___ German.
After 'good at' use -ing of 'solve': He is good at ___ puzzles.
A few verbs can take either form, but the meaning changes. 'Stop doing' = quit the activity; 'stop to do' = pause in order to do something. 'Remember doing' = a memory of the past; 'remember to do' = don't forget a future task.
So 'He stopped smoking' (quit) is very different from 'He stopped to smoke' (paused for a cigarette).
Ejemplos
He stopped smoking last year.
stop + -ing = quit the habit.
He stopped to smoke.
stop + to = paused in order to smoke.
Remember to lock the door!
remember + to = don't forget (future).
stop smoking
/stɒp ˈsmoʊkɪŋ/
He stopped smoking last year. (quit)
stop to smoke
/stɒp tə smoʊk/
He stopped to smoke. (paused in order to)
remember locking
/rɪˈmembər ˈlɒkɪŋ/
I remember locking the door. (memory)
remember to lock
/rɪˈmembər tə lɒk/
Remember to lock the door! (don't forget)
He quit the habit. Choose: He stopped ___ last year.
Don't forget (future task): Remember ___ lock the door! (to / -ing)
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