Example of Infinitives in English (Infinitives)

English / by admin / July 04, 2021

The infinitive is the verb form that refers to the action or state without referring to the time in which it happens, that is, it only expresses the action itself. It can act in the sentence as a noun, adjective, adverb, direct object or indirect object, in addition to the verbal function. It is equivalent in Spanish to verbs ending in –ar, -er or –ir.

The infinitive in English It is formed by putting the preposition to before the verb:

To walk - walk
To eat - eat
To sleep - sleep

The infinitive is used in grammatical constructions combined with other verbs, forming a verb string:

I was thinking to make some coffee. (I was thinking of making some coffee)
We begin to study at eight o’clock. (U.S we started studying at eight o'clock)

When you want to express the action in the infinitive after the following verbs:

Enjoy
Mind
Stop
Miss
Avoid
Consider
Remember
Appreciate
Finish
Deny
Admit
Risk
Recall

In this case, the gerund is used to express the abstract action that corresponds to the infinitive, because after these verbs the form to + verb is never used:

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We finish running in the third place. (We finished running in third place)
They miss eating their granny’s cookies. (They miss eating their granny's cookies)

The infinitive is written without the particle to, when written after the following verbs:

Make
Let
Hear
See
Watch
Feel

I saw walk the spider directly to the fly

Don’t worry. Let them do the try. (Don't worry, let them try)

When the infinitive is written after the prepositions but (but, but) and except (except) and when to (a, for) works as a preposition, it is not written either to before the verb:

He does nothing except sleep. (He does nothing except sleep)
I can't do anything but forget. (I can't do anything but forget)
Yes, I need the car to travel to California. (Yes, I need the car to travel to California).

When combined with objects and complements, it forms infinitive phrases, a type of verb phrase. These phrases can also function as nouns, adverbs, adjectives, direct object or indirect object.

To play football on Saturday morning is the best thing of my weekend. (Playing soccer on Saturday morning is the highlight of my weekend.)
I Work everyday to earn much money (I work every day to earn a lot of money)

Example of infinitives in English (infinitives):

To act
To add
To answer
To appear
To arrive
To ask
To bark
To be
To became
To belong
To born
To build
To can (power)
To clean
To close
To contain
To cook
To cost
To cover
To crack (break)
To create
To cross
to cry (cry)
To dark
To die (to die)
To discover
To draw
To drink
To drive
To dry
To ear
To eat
To elect (choose)
To exchange
To experiment
To explain
To express
To feel
To finish
To fix
To fly
To follow
To formulate
To found
To freeze
To fun
To gift
To give
To go
To grow
To have
To help
To honor
To include
To jump
To know
To learn
To leave
To left
To list
To listen
To live
To look
To loose
To make
To mean (to mean)
To modify
To move
To play
To pull
To put
To reach
To read
To record
To refuse
To remain
To remember
To repair
To return
To save
To schedule
To sell
To set
To shine
To show
To sing
To sit
To sleep
To smell
To Smile
To solve
To sound
To speak
To stay
To stop
To study
To swim
To take
To taste
To tell (say, speak)
To translate
To travel
To try
To turn on
To type
To underline
To use
To walk
To wash
To wear
To work
To write

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