Lesson 52: Gerunds and Infinitives – Uses and Differences

Hi! Welcome to Lesson 52 from LingTrio!

Salut ! Bienvenue à la leçon 52 de LingTrio !

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

Aujourd'hui, nous allons découvrir deux formes verbales importantes qui vous aident à parler des actions :

Gerunds and Infinitives – Uses and Differences

Gérondifs et Infinitifs – Usages et Différences

Why learn about Gerunds and Infinitives?

Pourquoi apprendre les gérondifs et les infinitifs ?

Express actions in different ways

Exprimer des actions de différentes manières

Say what you like or dislike

Dire ce que vous aimez ou n'aimez pas

Explain reasons or intentions

Expliquer des raisons ou des intentions

Understand how to use verbs correctly in sentences

Comprendre comment utiliser correctement les verbes dans les phrases

Let's Learn Them One by One:

Apprenons-les un par un :

Gerunds (Verb + -ing)

Gérondifs (Verbe + -ing)

When to use:

Quand les utiliser :

For hobbies, interests, or general activities:

Pour les loisirs, intérêts ou activités générales :

I enjoy reading.

I enjoy reading.

After certain verbs that require a gerund:

Après certains verbes qui nécessitent un gérondif :

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 (dans le sens d'arrêter une action), finish, et autres.

She likes cooking.

She likes cooking.

To talk about activities in a general sense:

Pour parler d'activités au sens général :

Swimming is good exercise.

Swimming is good exercise.

After prepositions:

Après des prépositions :

She is good at dancing.

She is good at dancing.

In fixed expressions or idioms:

Dans des expressions fixes ou idiomes :

It’s no use crying

It’s no use crying

Features:

Caractéristiques :

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

Les gérondifs se forment en ajoutant -ing au verbe de base.

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

Ils fonctionnent comme des noms et peuvent avoir des objets ou faire partie de phrases plus longues.

Examples:

Exemples :

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)

Infinitifs (to + verbe)

When to use:

Quand les utiliser :

To express purpose or intention:

Pour exprimer un but ou une intention :

I want to learn English.

I want to learn English.

After certain verbs that require an infinitive:

Après certains verbes qui nécessitent un infinitif :

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:

Pour parler d'actions futures ou de projets :

We are going to visit Paris next year.

We are going to visit Paris next year.

After adjectives to express opinions or evaluations:

Après des adjectifs pour exprimer des opinions ou des évaluations :

It’s difficult to understand him.

It’s difficult to understand him.

After some nouns and expressions:

Après certains noms et expressions :

He has the ability to solve problems.

He has the ability to solve problems.

Features:

Caractéristiques :

Infinitives are formed with "to" + base verb.

Les infinitifs se forment avec "to" + verbe de base.

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

Ils peuvent agir comme des noms, des adjectifs ou des adverbes dans les phrases.

Examples:

Exemples :

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:

Différences et Quand les utiliser :

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

Certains verbes sont suivis de gérondifs (par ex. enjoy, avoid, mind)

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

D'autres sont suivis d'infinitifs (par ex. want, decide, hope).

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

Certains verbes peuvent être suivis des deux avec un changement de sens (par ex. stop, remember).

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

Beau travail ! Vous savez maintenant utiliser correctement les gérondifs et les infinitifs !