Lesson 52: Gerunds and Infinitives – Uses and Differences

Hi! Welcome to Lesson 52 from LingTrio!

¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a la lección 52 de LingTrio!

Today, we’re going to learn about two important forms of verbs that help you talk about actions:

Hoy vamos a aprender sobre dos formas importantes de verbos que te ayudan a hablar sobre acciones:

Gerunds and Infinitives – Uses and Differences

Gerundios e Infinitivos – Usos y Diferencias

Why learn about Gerunds and Infinitives?

¿Por qué aprender sobre Gerundios e Infinitivos?

Express actions in different ways

Expresar acciones de diferentes maneras

Say what you like or dislike

Decir lo que te gusta o no te gusta

Explain reasons or intentions

Explicar razones o intenciones

Understand how to use verbs correctly in sentences

Entender cómo usar los verbos correctamente en las oraciones

Let's Learn Them One by One:

Aprendámoslos uno por uno:

Gerunds (Verb + -ing)

Gerundios (Verbo + -ing)

When to use:

Cuándo usarlos:

For hobbies, interests, or general activities:

Para pasatiempos, intereses o actividades generales:

I enjoy reading.

I enjoy reading.

After certain verbs that require a gerund:

Después de ciertos verbos que requieren un gerundio:

like, love, hate, enjoy, avoid, mind, consider, suggest, keep, stop (in the sense of ceasing an action), finish, and others.

like, love, hate, enjoy, avoid, mind, consider, suggest, keep, stop (en el sentido de cesar una acción), finish, y otros.

She likes cooking.

She likes cooking.

To talk about activities in a general sense:

Para hablar de actividades en sentido general:

Swimming is good exercise.

Swimming is good exercise.

After prepositions:

Después de preposiciones:

She is good at dancing.

She is good at dancing.

In fixed expressions or idioms:

En expresiones fijas o modismos:

It’s no use crying

It’s no use crying

Features:

Características:

Gerunds are formed by adding -ing to the base verb.

Los gerundios se forman añadiendo -ing al verbo base.

They function as nouns and can have objects or be part of larger phrases.

Funcionan como sustantivos y pueden tener objetos o ser parte de frases más largas.

Examples:

Ejemplos:

I enjoy reading books.

I enjoy reading books.

She is good at cooking.

She is good at cooking.

They are interested in learning languages.

They are interested in learning languages.

Infinitives (to + verb)

Infinitivos (to + verbo)

When to use:

Cuándo usarlos:

To express purpose or intention:

Para expresar propósito o intención:

I want to learn English.

I want to learn English.

After certain verbs that require an infinitive:

Después de ciertos verbos que requieren un infinitivo:

decide, hope, plan, expect, promise, refuse, agree, etc.

decide, hope, plan, expect, promise, refuse, agree, etc.

She decided to go to the party.

She decided to go to the party.

To talk about future actions or plans:

Para hablar de acciones futuras o planes:

We are going to visit Paris next year.

We are going to visit Paris next year.

After adjectives to express opinions or evaluations:

Después de adjetivos para expresar opiniones o evaluaciones:

It’s difficult to understand him.

It’s difficult to understand him.

After some nouns and expressions:

Después de algunos sustantivos y expresiones:

He has the ability to solve problems.

He has the ability to solve problems.

Features:

Características:

Infinitives are formed with "to" + base verb.

Los infinitivos se forman con "to" + verbo base.

They can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences.

Pueden actuar como sustantivos, adjetivos o adverbios en las oraciones.

Examples:

Ejemplos:

I want to travel next summer.

I want to travel next summer.

He decided to start a new job.

He decided to start a new job.

She hopes to see her friends tomorrow.

She hopes to see her friends tomorrow.

Differences and When to Use:

Diferencias y Cuándo usarlos:

Some verbs are followed by gerunds (e.g., enjoy, avoid, mind)

Algunos verbos van seguidos de gerundios (por ej., enjoy, avoid, mind)

Others are followed by infinitives (e.g., want, decide, hope).

Otros van seguidos de infinitivos (por ej., want, decide, hope).

Some verbs can be followed by both with a change in meaning (e.g., stop, remember).

Algunos verbos pueden ir seguidos de ambos con un cambio de significado (por ej., stop, remember).

Great job! Now you know how to use gerunds and infinitives correctly!

¡Buen trabajo! ¡Ahora sabes cómo usar los gerundios e infinitivos correctamente!