Gerunds and Infinitives
¿Qué son los gerunds e infinitives?
Los gerunds (verb-ing) y infinitives (to + base form) son formas no personales del verbo. Su uso depende del verbo que les precede.
Verbos seguidos de GERUND (verb-ing):
Gustar/Disfrutar
enjoy reading
love swimming
like dancing
hate waiting
Empezar/Parar
start working
begin studying
stop smoking
finish eating
Más verbos con gerund:
Evitar/Recomendar
avoid driving
suggest staying
recommend trying
mind waiting
Admitir/Imaginar
admit stealing
imagine living
deny breaking
risk losing
Expresiones fijas
be used to working
get used to driving
look forward to seeing
it's no use tryingVerbos seguidos de INFINITIVE (to + verbo):
Decidir/Esperar
decide to buy
hope to win
expect to arrive
want to learn
Obligación/Permiso
need to go
have to study
must to work
can to swimVerbos con ambas formas (diferente significado):
| Verbo | Gerund | Infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| remember | I remember meeting him (recuerdo haberlo conocido) |
I remember to close the door (recuerdo que debo cerrar) |
| stop | She stopped smoking (dejó de fumar) |
She stopped to smoke (paró para fumar) |
| try | Try adding more salt (inténtalo añadiendo sal) |
Try to add more salt (intenta añadir más sal) |
| forget | I forget meeting him (olvido haberlo conocido) |
I forget to meet him (olvido que debo conocerlo) |
Preposiciones + gerund:
Siempre gerund después de preposiciones
I'm interested in learning Spanish
She's good at playing tennis
He's afraid of flying
They apologized for being late
Thank you for helping me
Práctica: Gerund o infinitive
1. I enjoy _____ (read) books in my free time.
2. She decided _____ (buy) a new car.
3. I miss _____ (live) in the countryside.
4. They hope _____ (win) the competition.
5. I can't stand _____ (wait) in long queues.
6. He stopped _____ (smoke) last year.
7. I'm looking forward to _____ (see) you soon.
💡 Consejos importantes
- Después de preposiciones: SIEMPRE gerund
- Verbos como enjoy, love, hate: gerund
- Verbos como want, hope, decide: infinitive
- Algunos verbos cambian de significado según la forma
🎯 Regla clave
La elección entre gerund e infinitive depende del verbo principal. Algunos verbos solo aceptan una forma, otros cambian de significado según cuál uses.
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