Infinitive / gerund
  • The infinitive is the basic form of a verb: be, have, play,...

  • The gerund is the -ing form: being, having, playing,...

  • The infinitive can be used as a noun in Spanish, but in English they use the gerund instead:

    • They have to do the cleaning. =
      [Tienen que hacer la limpieza.]
    • I hate ironing. =
      [Odio planchar.]
    • Doing sport is good for you. =
      [Hacer deporte es bueno para la salud.]
When do we use the gerund and when do we use the infinitive?
  • The gerund is used in continuous tenses (after the verb BE); in Spanish it is translated as the gerund, too:

    • We are learning English. =
      [Estamos aprendiendo inglés.]       (present continuous)
    • They were watching TV. =
      [Estaban viendo la tele.]       (past continuous)

    Exception: we sometimes use the present simple in Spanish to describe actions in progress now:
    He's wearing a pair of black jeans. (present continuous) =
    [Lleva puestos unos vaqueros negros. (present simple) ]
  • The infinitive is used in the present simple and past simple tenses (after the auxiliary verb DO):

    • Do you drive? =
      [¿Sabes conducir?]       (present simple)
    • Does she speak English? =
      [¿Habla inglés?]       (present simple)
    • Did it rain yesterday? =
      [¿Llovió ayer?]       (past simple)
  • The gerund can be used as the subject of a sentence:

    • Drinking alcohol is dangerous. =
      [Beber alcohol es peligroso.]
  • The infinitive can be used after It + BE + adj. + to:

    • It is dangerous to drink alcohol. =
      [Es peligroso beber alcohol.]
  • The gerund is used as an object after certain verbs:

    • I like travelling. =
      [Me gusta viajar.]
    • He hates making his bed. =
      [Odia hacerse la cama.]
    • She loves playing the guitar. =
      [Le gusta muchísimo tocar la guitarra.]
  • The infinitive is used as an object after certain other verbs, including «would like»:

    • I would like to travel to Egypt. =
      [Me gustaría viajar a Egipto.]
    • She wants to become an architect. =
      [Quiere hacerse arquitecto.]
    • They can dance very well. =
      [Saben bailar muy bien.]
  • The gerund is used after a preposition, except after «to» (= «para»):

    • He lives without working.
      [Vive sin trabajar.]
    • He is talking about surviving in the Amazon.
      [Está hablando de sobrevivir en el Amazonas.]
    • I have some tomatoes for making a salad. =
      [Tengo unos tomates para hacer una ensalada.]
  • The infinitive is used after «to» / «in order to» / «so as to» / «in order not to» / «so as not to» = «para» / «para no»:

    • I have some tomatoes to make a salad. =
      [Tengo unos tomates para hacer una ensalada.]
    • Use a dictionary to do those exercises. =
      [Usa un diccionario para hacer esos ejercicios.]
    • Do it slowly so as not to hurt your back. =
      [Hazlo despacio para no hacerte daño en la espalda.]
  • The infinitive is also used after most wh- words:

    • He is talking about how to survive in the Amazon. =
      [Está hablando de cómo sobrevivir en el Amazonas.]
    • He does not know when to stop talking. =
      [No sabe cuándo dejar de hablar.]

    Exception: we use the bare infinitive (without «to») after «why»:
    • Why worry about something you can't change? =
      [¿Por qué preocuparse por algo que no se puede cambiar?]

JJCC