English · Chapter 12
Gerunds and Infinitives: Mastering Verb Patterns
Knowing which verbs are followed by a gerund, an infinitive, or both — and how the meaning changes — is one of the most practical skills for achieving fluency in English.
Definitions: What Are Gerunds and Infinitives?
Gerund: The -ing form of a verb used as a noun. It can be a subject, object, or complement.
Swimming is great exercise. / I enjoy reading. / Her hobby is painting.
Infinitive: The base form of the verb, usually preceded by to.
I want to learn Spanish. / It's important to exercise regularly.
Bare infinitive: The base form without "to" — used after modal verbs and certain other verbs.
She can swim. / I heard him leave. / Let me help you.
Verbs Followed by Gerund Only
The following verbs must always be followed by a gerund, never by a to-infinitive. Memorizing these groups is essential.
| Verb | Example |
|---|
| enjoy | I enjoy cooking on weekends. |
| avoid | She avoids eating processed food. |
| consider | Have you considered moving abroad? |
| deny | He denied stealing the money. |
| finish | She finished writing the report at midnight. |
| imagine | I can't imagine living without internet. |
| keep (on) | He kept interrupting me. |
| mind | Do you mind closing the window? |
| miss | I miss living near the sea. |
| practice | She practices speaking English every day. |
| recommend | I recommend visiting the old town. |
| risk | Don't risk losing your job over this. |
| suggest | He suggested taking a different route. |
| admit | She admitted making a mistake. |
| can't help | I can't help laughing when I see him. |
| can't stand | She can't stand waiting in queues. |
| give up | He gave up smoking last year. |
| put off | Stop putting off doing your homework. |
| look forward to | I look forward to meeting you. (to = preposition here!) |
| be used to | I'm used to working long hours. |
| get used to | She got used to driving on the left. |
Verbs Followed by Infinitive Only
These verbs are always followed by a to-infinitive. They typically relate to decisions, intentions, and mental projections into the future.
| Verb | Example |
|---|
| afford | We can't afford to buy a new car. |
| agree | She agreed to help us. |
| arrange | I've arranged to meet him at 3 p.m. |
| choose | He chose to stay at home. |
| decide | She decided to quit her job. |
| expect | I expect to finish by Friday. |
| fail | He failed to meet the deadline. |
| hope | I hope to see you soon. |
| learn | She learned to drive at 18. |
| manage | He managed to escape unhurt. |
| need | You need to rest. |
| offer | She offered to carry my bags. |
| plan | We plan to travel in September. |
| pretend | He pretended not to know. |
| promise | She promised to be on time. |
| refuse | He refused to sign the contract. |
| seem | She seems to be unhappy. |
| want | I want to become a teacher. |
| wish | She wishes to remain anonymous. |
| would like | I'd like to speak to the manager. |
Verbs Followed by Both — With Different Meanings
Several verbs can be followed by either a gerund or an infinitive, but the meaning changes significantly. These are among the most important patterns to learn.
Stop
stop + gerund = quit doing something (the action ends)
"He stopped smoking." (He no longer smokes.)
stop + infinitive = pause in order to do something else
"He stopped to smoke." (He paused what he was doing in order to have a cigarette.)
Remember / Forget
remember/forget + gerund = memory of a past action
"I remember meeting her at the conference." (I have a memory of that meeting.)
"I'll never forget visiting Rome for the first time."
remember/forget + infinitive = remembering/forgetting to do something (future task)
"Did you remember to lock the door?" (Did you do the task?)
"I forgot to call him." (I didn't do it.)
Regret
regret + gerund = feel sorry about a past action
"I regret telling him the truth." (I told him and now I'm sorry.)
regret + infinitive = sorry to say (formal, used in giving bad news)
"We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful."
Try
try + gerund = experiment with something to see if it works
"If you have a headache, try taking an aspirin." (It might help.)
try + infinitive = make an effort, attempt (may succeed or fail)
"I tried to open the window but it was stuck." (I attempted it — but failed.)
Mean
mean + gerund = involve, entail
"Getting fit means exercising regularly." (It involves exercise.)
mean + infinitive = intend
"I meant to call you — I'm sorry I forgot." (I intended to call.)
Go On
go on + gerund = continue the same action
"He went on talking for another hour." (He continued talking.)
go on + infinitive = move on to a new, different action
"After apologizing, she went on to explain what had happened."
Verb + Object + Infinitive
Many verbs take an object (a person) followed by a to-infinitive. The object is the person who will perform the action.
— "I want him to come." (Not: I want that he comes.)
— "She asked me to help her."
— "He told us to wait outside."
— "They expect everyone to arrive on time."
— "The teacher encouraged her to apply for the scholarship."
Common verbs: want, ask, tell, expect, encourage, advise, remind, allow, permit, force, persuade, invite, help, teach, warn, order
Preposition + Gerund
In English, whenever a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the gerund form. This is a fixed rule with no exceptions.
— "She is interested in learning photography." (interested in + gerund)
— "He is good at solving problems." (good at + gerund)
— "I'm tired of waiting." (tired of + gerund)
— "Thank you for helping me." (for + gerund)
— "She left without saying goodbye." (without + gerund)
— "I'm thinking of changing jobs." (thinking of + gerund)
— "He succeeded in passing the exam." (succeeded in + gerund)
Be Used To vs. Used To: A Critical Distinction
Used to + base verb = a past habit or state that no longer exists
"I used to live in Madrid." (I don't live there anymore.)
"She used to be shy." (She isn't anymore.)
Be/get used to + gerund = be/become accustomed to something
"I am used to working night shifts." (I'm accustomed to it.)
"She's getting used to driving on the left." (She's becoming accustomed.)
WRONG: "I am used to work late."
CORRECT: "I am used to working late."
Chapter Summary
- A gerund is the -ing form used as a noun; an infinitive is "to + base verb." Which form follows a verb is a matter of pattern — these must be learned.
- Key verbs followed by gerund only: enjoy, avoid, consider, deny, finish, imagine, keep, mind, miss, practice, recommend, risk, suggest, admit, can't help, give up.
- Key verbs followed by infinitive only: afford, agree, decide, expect, fail, hope, learn, manage, need, offer, plan, promise, refuse, seem, want, would like.
- Verbs that change meaning with gerund vs. infinitive — stop, remember, forget, regret, try, mean, go on — must be learned as paired meanings, not just as vocabulary items.
- After any preposition (in, of, at, for, without, about, after, before), the following verb must always be a gerund — this rule has no exceptions in English.
- Used to + base verb describes a past habit; be used to + gerund means being accustomed to something — confusing these produces a serious error.
- Many verbs (want, ask, tell, expect, advise) take the pattern verb + object + to-infinitive, which is the standard English equivalent of "quiero que él venga" in Spanish.