Gerunds and infinitives

She persuaded his father to buy a new motorbike (=Va persuadir al seu pare perquè li comprés una nova moto).

I begged her to let me go to the party (=Vaig suplicar-li que em deixés anar a la festa).

I would prefer my son to behave better (=Preferiria que el meu fill es comportés millor).

Introduction

When we use two verbs together, the second verb can be either a gerund or an infinitive (with to)

• Quan utilitzem dos verbs junts, el segon verb pot estar tant en gerundi com en infinitiu (amb el to)

We form the negative by putting not before de gerund or infinitive

• La oració negativa es forma posant el not abans del gerundi o infinitiu

He hated not being famous

• Ell odiava no ser famós

She decided not to follow the celebrity

• Ella va decidir no seguir al famós

Verbs + infinitive

Common verbs followed by an infinitive

http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/gerunds_infinitives_1.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/infinitive-gerund/exercises?10

permetre's / estar d'acord / aparèixer / organitzar / preguntar / intentar /

suplicar / escollir / consentir / atrevir-se /

decidir / exigir / merèixer / esperar / fallar, suspendre/

preparar-se / dubtar / tenir l'esperança de / tenir la intenció /

aprendre / dirigir, ensortir-se'n / significar / necessitar /

oferir / preparar / pretendre / prometre / rebutjar /

semblar / amenaçar /

esperar / voler / desitjar /

afford • agree • appear • arrange • ask • attempt •

beg • choose • consent • dare •

decide • demand • deserve • expect • fail •

get ready • hesitate • hope • intend •

learn • manage • mean • need •

offer • prepare • pretend • promise • refuse •

seem • threaten •

wait • want • wish

More uses of gerunds and infinitives

We can also use the gerund:

She refused to accept my apology

Ella va rebutjar la meva disculpa

She pretended to be famous

I can't promise to be there but I will try

No puc prometre estar allà però ho intentaré

I've arranged to meet Diana at the party

He planejat quedar amb la Diana a la festa

We can also use the infinitive:

As a noun (especially as the subject of a sentence).

• Watching the news can be depressing.
• One of her hobbies is writing stories.

After a preposition.

• She’s tired of working as a photographer.
• After winning the award, he organized a huge party.

After the preposition by, the gerund refers to an action that we do in order to achieve a certain result (=una acció que fem per tal d' aconseguir alguna cosa).

• He finished the article by working all night.

(= Per tal d'acabar l'article, va haver de treballar tota la nit)

ONLY WITH

INFINITIVE!

Would like

Would love

Would hate

Would prefer

TIP

I would like to go out with him

• M'agradaria sotir amb ell

after an adjective.

• It’s difficult to predict the weather.
• I’m happy to help.

after certain nouns, such as duty, opportunity, permission, right, time, use, etc.

• It’s time to go.
• I need their permission to publish the article.

to express purpose. To + infinitive has a similar meaning to in order to + infinitive.

• I followed him (in order) to find out where he was going (= I followed him because I wanted to find out where he was going).

Gerunds and infinitives

Verb + object + infinitive or base form

These are some of the verbs which can be followed by an object (+ not) + infinitive with to.

Hi ha alguns verbs que poden anar acompanyats de la persona, però sempre van amb l'infinitiu (with to).

• advise – aconsellar • allow – donar permís • ask – preguntar • beg – suplicar • cause – causar • convince – convèncer • dare – atrevir-se • enable – possibilitar/ permetre • expect – esperar • forbid – prohibir • force – forçar/obligar a • get – aconseguir • help – ajudar • hire – contractar • inspire – inspirar • instruct– ensenyar/ instruir • invite – convidar • need – necessitar • order – ordenar ( a algú) • permit – permetre • persuade – persuadir • remind – recordar a algú una cosa • require – requerir • teach – ensenyar • tell – dir • want – voler • warn – advertir • would hate – odiaria • would like – agradaria • would love – estimaria • would prefer – preferiria

We use an object (+ not) + infinitive without to after:

Utilitzem la persona (+not) + l'infinitiu sense to després de:

make and let (fer i permetre)

• I let him go to the cinema (El vaig deixar anar al cinema)

some expressions, such as would rather (not), had better (not) (algunes expressions com preferiria, hauria de...)

• I would rather not talk to him (Preferiria no parlar-li)

• Sense verbs, such as hear, listen to, see, smell, touch ( verbs dels sentits)
• He heard her come in (Ell va escoltar-la entrar)

We can use an infinitive with or without to after help + object

I helped them make up

=I help them to make up

(Els vaig ajudar a fer les paus)

By Lídia Saiz, Paula Pujol and Núria Grima.

Verbs with both gerund and infinitive

with a little change in meaning:

Verbs with BOTH gerund and infinitive

with NO change in meaning:

begin, like, hate, love, prefer, start

remember

+ -ing = recordar una acció passada

Do you remember seeing John at the party? (Recordes haver vist al John a la festa?)

+ infinitive = no oblidar-se de fer alguna cosa

Please remember to buy some milk ( Si us plau no t'oblidis de comprar llet)

stop

+ -ing = parar de fer alguna cosa

He stopped eating ice-cream ( Va deixar de menjar gelat)

+ infinitive = parar de fer alguna cosa per fer una altra diferent

He stopped to buy an ice-cream ( explicació: estava caminant i va parar per comprar-se un gelat)

try

+ -ing = provar de fer una cosa

She tried eating vegetarian food ( Ella va provar de tastar menjar vegetarià)

+ infinitive = intentar fer una acció difícil o impossible

He tried to run away from the mafia (Va intentar fugir de la màfia)

començar, agradar, odiar, estimar, preferir, començar

forget

+ -ing = oblidar una acció passada

She will never forget visiting New York (Mai oblidarà haver anat a Nova York)

+ infinitive = oblidar-se de fer alguna cosa

She forgot to close the door (Va oblidar-se de tancar la porta)

go on

+ -ing = continuar fent alguna cosa

She went on watching the television (Va continuar veient la televisió)

+ infinitive = fer una cosa diferent/ nova

I went on to become a clothes designer ( explicació: Vaig convertir-me en un dissenyador de roba. Abans no ho era)

regret

+ -ing = arrepentir-se d'una acció passada

I regretted lying to him ( No hauria d'haver-li mentit)

+ infinitive = et sap greu dir una cosa

I regret to tell you that he's lying (Em sap greu però t'he de dir que està mentint)

I love going to the cinema /

I love to go to the cinema

Verbs + gerund

Common verbs followed by a gerund

admetre / aconsellar / evitar / no poder evitar /

no (poder) suportar / no imaginar / no poder enfrentar-se / completar /

considerar / continuar / retardar / detestar / debatre /

desagradar / no importar / gaudir / acabar /

rendir-se / imaginar / involucrar-se / guardar /

mencionar / importar / perdre, trobar a faltar / posposar /

practicar / recordar / recomanar/

informar a algú / resistir / arriscar-se /

suggerir / entendre /

admit • advise • avoid • can’t help •

can’t stand • can’t imagine • can’t face • complete •

consider • continue • delay • detest • discuss •

dislike • don’t mind • enjoy • finish •

give up • imagine • involve • keep •

mention • mind • miss • postpone •

practise • recall • recommend •

report • resist • risk •

suggest • understand

I regret going out with him

• M'arrepenteixo de sortir amb ell

I can't avoid seeing her at school

• No puc evitar veure-la a l'escola

I imagine not having friends

• M'imagino no tenir amics