Infinitives and Gerunds

A2 Talking about the future Grammar

Use infinitives and gerunds after common verbs, expressions and prepositions.

Overview

In English, one verb is often followed by another verb, but the second verb does not always have the same form. Sometimes we use to followed by the base form of the verb, as in I want to travel or She needs to study. Other times, we use the -ing form, as in I enjoy reading or They love swimming. These two patterns are called the to-infinitive and the gerund, and they appear in many everyday expressions.

The choice usually depends on the word that comes before the second verb. For example, we say I decided to leave, but I finished packing. Prepositions also normally take the -ing form when followed by a verb, as in I’m interested in learning French or Thank you for helping me. Some verbs, such as like, love and hate, can be followed by either form. Learning these patterns will help you talk about plans, intentions, preferences, interests and everyday activities more naturally.

1. Infinitive with to

Use to + base verb after many common verbs, especially when talking about plans, wishes or decisions.

Verb	Example
want	I want to visit* Rome.*
need	We need to book* a room.*
decide	They decided to stay* another night.*
hope	She hopes to travel* next year.*
learn to	I’m learning to* drive.*
plan	He plans to study* abroad.*
would like	I would like to try* local food.*

The infinitive is also used to explain a purpose:

We went to the station to catch the train.
She called the hotel to ask about breakfast.
They saved money to go on holiday.

2. Gerunds after verbs

Use a gerund after some common verbs. These verbs often describe likes, dislikes or activities.

Verb or expression	Example
enjoy	We enjoy exploring* new places.*
like	I like walking* by the sea.*
love	She loves taking* photographs.*
hate	He hates waiting* at airports.*
finish	They finished packing* their bags.*
keep	Please keep checking* the timetable.*

The verb enjoy is particularly important. It is normally followed by the -ing form when another verb comes after it.

I enjoy travelling.

Not: I enjoy to travel.

The same applies to finish.

She finished reading the book.

Not: She finished to read the book.

3. Like, love, hate and prefer

Some verbs can be followed by both a gerund and a to-infinitive. This is common with verbs that describe preferences.

Verb	Gerund	To-infinitive
like	I like swimming.	I like to swim.
love	She loves dancing.	She loves to dance.
hate	He hates waiting.	He hates to wait.
prefer	I prefer walking.	I prefer to walk.

Both forms are often possible with similar meanings:

I like reading before bed.
I like to read before bed.

The first sentence presents reading as an enjoyable activity. The second can also describe a preference or habit. There can be subtle differences depending on the context, but at A2 the most important thing is to recognise that both forms are possible after these verbs.

With would like, however, use the to-infinitive:

I’d like to visit Japan.

Not: I’d like visiting Japan.

4. After prepositions

When a verb follows a preposition, it normally takes the -ing form. This is one of the most useful patterns to remember.

Expression	Example
interested in	She’s interested in learning* Japanese.*
good at	He’s good at cooking.
bad at	I’m bad at remembering* names.*
afraid of	She’s afraid of flying.
tired of	We’re tired of waiting.
without	He left without saying* goodbye.*
before	Wash your hands before eating.
after	We went home after watching* the film.*
thank you for	Thank you for helping* me.*

Compare these sentences:

I’m interested in photography.
I’m interested in taking photographs.

The preposition in remains the same. When the following word is a verb, that verb takes the -ing form.

An important distinction

The word to is not always part of an infinitive. Sometimes it is a preposition, especially in expressions such as look forward to.

I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Not: I’m looking forward to see you.

5. Infinitives to express purpose

The to-infinitive is also used to explain why someone does something.

I went to the shop to buy some bread.
She called me to ask a question.
They travelled to London to visit their friends.

In these sentences, the infinitive describes the purpose of the action.

Compare:

I went to the library.
I went to the library to study.

The first sentence tells us where the person went. The second also tells us why.

This structure is common in everyday conversation because it allows us to explain intentions clearly and simply.

6. Verb + person + to-infinitive

Some verbs can be followed by a person and then a to-infinitive.

Pattern	Example
ask someone to	She asked me to help her.
tell someone to	He told us to wait.
want someone to	I want you to listen.
need someone to	We need someone to drive.
invite someone to	They invited me to stay.

Notice the difference:

I want to leave.
I want you to leave.

In the first sentence, the speaker wants to leave. In the second, the speaker wants another person to leave.

7. Choosing the correct form

In many cases, there is no simple universal rule that tells us whether a verb takes a gerund or an infinitive. The best approach is to learn common combinations.

To-infinitive	Gerund
want to go	enjoy going
need to study	finish studying
hope to travel	avoid travelling
decide to leave	keep working
plan to cook	practise cooking
learn to swim	miss swimming

Some expressions can take either form:

I love travelling.
I love to travel.

Other expressions require a particular form:

I decided to leave.
I enjoy travelling.

Learning the verb together with its usual pattern is more useful than memorising the verb alone.

8. Summary

When two verbs appear together in English, the second verb often takes either the to-infinitive or the -ing form. Some verbs are commonly followed by to. For example, I want to travel, She needs to study, We hope to arrive early, and They decided to stay. This structure is also used with expressions such as plan to, learn to, promise to and would like to. You might say, I’m planning to learn French, or I’d like to visit Ireland next summer.

Other verbs are followed by the -ing form. For example, I enjoy reading, She finished writing, He avoids driving at night, and They keep talking. The same form is used after prepositions. We say She’s interested in learning languages, He’s good at playing chess, and They left without saying goodbye. Notice how the verb changes after expressions such as interested in, good at and afraid of.

Some verbs, including like, love, hate and prefer, can use both forms. We can say I love swimming or I love to swim. Both are natural. However, other verbs have a more fixed pattern. We say I want to go, not I want going, and I enjoy travelling, not I enjoy to travel. The most effective way to learn these structures is to remember complete expressions and practise hearing them in everyday sentences.

9. Common mistakes

Incorrect	Correct
I want going home.	I want to go* home.*
She enjoys to travel.	She enjoys travelling.
Thank you for to help me.	Thank you for helping* me.*
We decided booking a taxi.	We decided to book* a taxi.*
I look forward to hear from you.	I look forward to hearing* from you.*

Exercises

1. Choose the correct form

Answers

I want ___ (to visit / visiting) Portugal.
They enjoy ___ (to explore / exploring) old towns.
We need ___ (to leave / leaving) before six.
She finished ___ (to pack / packing) her suitcase.
He decided ___ (to stay / staying) at a guesthouse.
Thank you for ___ (to help / helping) me.

2. Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Answers

We went to the airport ___ (meet) our friends.
I’m interested in ___ (learn) Italian.
Would you like ___ (join) us for dinner?
They left without ___ (say) goodbye.
She hopes ___ (travel) around Asia.

3. Correct the mistakes

Answers

I enjoy to swim in the sea.
He wants booking a flight.
We are looking forward to meet you.
She called to asking about the timetable.

4. Listening: The Alchemist’s Apprentice

Listen to the story and answer the questions. Read the transcript after your first listen.

Oliver is a young apprentice who works for an old alchemist in a tower outside the city. He wants to become a great alchemist, but he still needs to learn many things. Every morning, he helps his master prepare strange mixtures and clean the laboratory. Oliver enjoys studying old books, but he hates washing the dirty bottles after an experiment.

One day, his master asks him to prepare a special potion. Oliver decides to follow the instructions carefully because he wants to avoid making mistakes. He is good at measuring liquids, but he sometimes forgets to check the temperature. This time, he finishes mixing the ingredients and leaves the room without closing the window.

A few minutes later, a strong wind enters the laboratory and knocks a bottle onto the floor. The potion begins to produce thick purple smoke. Oliver tries to stop it, but the smoke fills the room. When his master returns, he finds Oliver standing outside the tower, covered in purple dust.

The old alchemist looks at him and smiles. “Learning to make potions is difficult,” he says, “but learning to close windows should be easy.”

Answers

What does Oliver want to become?
Where does Oliver work?
What does he enjoy doing?
What does he hate doing?
What does his master ask him to prepare?
Why does Oliver follow the instructions carefully?
What is Oliver good at?
What does Oliver forget to do?
What happens to the potion?
How does his master react?