Gerund i Infinitive

Gerund vs. Infinitive — Complete Guide

Some English verbs are followed by a gerund (V-ing), some by an infinitive (to + V), and some can take either — sometimes with a change in meaning.

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1. Verbs Followed by GERUND (V-ing):

These verbs must be followed by the -ing form:

| Verb | Example |
|------|---------|
| enjoy | I enjoy reading books. |
| finish | She finished writing her essay. |
| avoid | He avoids eating junk food. |
| mind | Do you mind waiting? |
| suggest | I suggest going to the park. |
| keep | She keeps forgetting her keys. |
| practice | He practices playing guitar. |
| consider | I'm considering moving abroad. |
| admit | He admitted stealing the money. |
| deny | She denied breaking the vase. |
| give up | I gave up smoking last year. |
| can't help | I can't help laughing. |
| can't stand | I can't stand waiting in lines. |
| feel like | I feel like going out tonight. |
| imagine | Imagine living on Mars! |
| miss | I miss seeing my old friends. |
| postpone | They postponed having the meeting. |
| risk | Don't risk losing your job. |
| delay | We delayed starting the project. |
| involve | The job involves travelling a lot. |

Memory tip: Many verbs expressing emotion or "direction" of action take gerund.

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2. Verbs Followed by INFINITIVE (to + V):

| Verb | Example |
|------|---------|
| want | I want to learn English. |
| need | She needs to study more. |
| decide | He decided to leave. |
| hope | I hope to see you soon. |
| plan | We plan to visit Rome. |
| expect | I expect to pass the exam. |
| agree | She agreed to help us. |
| refuse | He refused to answer. |
| promise | I promise to be on time. |
| offer | He offered to drive us. |
| learn | She learned to swim at age 4. |
| afford | I can't afford to buy a car. |
| pretend | He pretended to be asleep. |
| seem | She seems to know everyone. |
| appear | He appears to be happy. |
| manage | I managed to fix it. |
| tend | She tends to worry a lot. |
| would like | I would like to order coffee. |
| choose | He chose to stay home. |
| fail | She failed to meet the deadline. |

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3. Verbs Followed by EITHER (no change in meaning):

| Verb | Gerund | Infinitive |
|------|--------|-----------|
| begin | It began raining. | It began to rain. |
| start | She started crying. | She started to cry. |
| continue | He continued working. | He continued to work. |
| like | I like swimming. | I like to swim. |
| love | She loves dancing. | She loves to dance. |
| hate | I hate waiting. | I hate to wait. |
| prefer | I prefer walking. | I prefer to walk. |

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4. Verbs Followed by EITHER (WITH change in meaning!):

This is critical for the matura exam:

| Verb | + Gerund | + Infinitive |
|------|----------|-------------|
| remember | I remember locking the door. (= I did it and I recall it.) | Remember to lock the door. (= Don't forget to do it!) |
| forget | I'll never forget meeting her. (= memory of a past event) | I forgot to meet her. (= I didn't do it.) |
| stop | He stopped smoking. (= He quit.) | He stopped to smoke. (= He paused in order to smoke.) |
| try | Try pressing the button. (= experiment) | I tried to open the door. (= I attempted, with effort.) |
| regret | I regret telling him. (= I wish I hadn't told him.) | I regret to inform you... (= I'm sorry to say...) |
| go on | She went on talking. (= continued) | She went on to become a doctor. (= next step) |
| mean | Studying abroad means leaving home. (= involves) | I meant to call you. (= intended) |

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5. Special Patterns:

Verb + Object + Infinitive:

• I want you to come. / She asked me to help. / He told her to wait.
• They expect us to arrive on time. / She reminded him to buy milk.

Let / Make + Object + Bare Infinitive (without "to"):

• My parents let me stay out late.
• The teacher made us repeat the exercise.
• BUT passive: I was made to repeat the exercise. (with "to")

Preposition + Gerund:

• I'm good at swimming. / She's interested in learning. / I'm tired of waiting.
• Thank you for helping. / He's afraid of flying. / Instead of studying, he played games.
• Before/after/without + gerund: She left without saying goodbye.

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Najczestsze bledy (Common Mistakes):

• ✗ I enjoy to read. → ✓ I enjoy reading.
• ✗ I want going home. → ✓ I want to go home.
• ✗ She suggested to go there. → ✓ She suggested going there.
• ✗ I look forward to see you. → ✓ I look forward to seeing you. ("to" is a preposition here!)
• ✗ He made me to do it. → ✓ He made me do it.