B2 GRAMMAR FILES INFANTA ELENA - YOLANDA

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

GERUNDS
El gerundio es una de las formas invariables del verbo. Se forma añadiendo –ing al infinitivo y, además de
utilizarse para la formación de tiempos de continuo, tiene otros usos:

GERUNDIO COMO SUJETO

Cuando un verbo funciona como sujeto de la oración, este verbo se pondrá en gerundio (para hablar de
acciones en general)

e.g. Breaking up a relationship is never easy

Smoking is very unhealthy

GERUNDIO COMO CD

Hay muchos verbos que van seguidos de gerundio. Los más comunes son:

ADMIT ADVISE ANTICIPATE APPRECIATE AVOID COMPLETE CONSIDER DELAY DENY DETEST
DISCUSS DISLIKE ENJOY FINISH FORGET HATE IMAGINE KEEP LIKE LOVE MENTION MIND
MISS POSTPONE PRACTICE PREFER QUIT RECALL RECOLLET RECOMMEND REGRET REMEMBER
RESENT RESIST RISK STOP SUGGEST TOLERATE UNDERSTAND

e.g. I enjoy swimming

We discussed holding the wedding at home

GERUNDIO DETRAS DE DETERMINADAS EXPRESIONES O FORMAS VERBALES

I can’t help laughing at him

I can’t stand waiting in queues
There’s / it’s no use crying over spilt milk
That car isn’t worth buying
Helen isn’t used to driving on the left.
I look forward to seeing you again
David couldn’t get used to living in a city.
John has given up smoking
Let’s go swimming!
I don’t mind/ wouldn’t mind being famous
I feel like eating pizza
He spent two hours writing a document
Your car needs cleaning (need + -ing = sentido pasivo)

GERUNDIO DETRAS DE PREPOSICION

Cuando una preposición va seguida de un verbo, este normalmente se pondrá en gerundio:

e.g. He apologized for not paying the bill

Lucy doesn’t like his way of thinking
 B2 GRAMMAR FILES INFANTA ELENA - YOLANDA
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

INFINITIVES
El infinitivo es otra forma invariable del verbo. Puede ir precedida de “to” o no. Si no lo lleva se llama
BARE INFINITIVE. Sin embargo, aquí vamos a hablar de los que van con “to”

INFINITIVO COMO SUJETO

Cuando un verbo funciona como sujeto de la oración, este verbo se pondrá en infinitivo (para hablar de
acciones concretas)

e.g. To live alone is not very good for you now

INFINITIVOS COMO CD – VERBOS SEGUIDOS DE TO+ INFINITIVO

Hay muchos verbos que van seguidos de infinitivo con to. Los más comunes son:

AFFORD AGREE APPEAR ARRANGE ASK BEG CARE CHOOSE CLAIM CONSENT DECIDE DEMAND
DESERVE EXPECT FAIL FORGET HESITATE HELP HOPE LEARN MANAGE MEAN NEED OFFER
PLAN PERSUADE PREPARE PRETEND PROMISE REFUSE REGRET REMEMBER SEEM STRUGGLE
SWEAR THREATEN VOLUNTEER WAIT WANT WISH

e.g. Angela promised to arrive on time.

They decided not to take the car.

INFINITIVO DETRAS DE VERBOS QUE LLEVAN CI

Estos verbos llevan un nombre o un pronombre entre el primer verbo y el infinitivo.

e.g. Alan told me to call him at 7.00

I permitted my daughter to take the car
Harry warned me not to drive too fast
She wants you to do the shopping.

Verbos de este tipo son:

ADVISE ALLOW ASK BEG CAUSE CHALLENGE CONVINCE DARE ENABLE ENCOURGE EXPECT
FORBID FORCE HIRE INSTRUCT INVITE NEED ORDER PERMIT PERSUADE REMIND REQUIRE
TEACH TELL URGE WANT WARN

Algunos verbos frasales y ciertas expresiones van seguidas de infinitive con “to”.

e.g. The whole affair turned out to be an embarrassment.

We were about to leave, so hurry up
Helen made up her mind to buy a house
It’s up to you to decide
Would you like to go today? I’d rather wait till tomorrow
You had better start at once!

INFINITIVO DETRAS DE ADJETIVOS Y ADVERBIOS

e.g. This text is difficult to understand

The car went too fast to see the traffic lights.
 B2 GRAMMAR FILES INFANTA ELENA - YOLANDA
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

VERBOS SEGUIDOS DE INFINITIVO SIN TO

1. Modales y semi-modales y auxiliares:

e.g. We should leave soon

The boys will have to travel on Tuesday
Did you see the accident?
She would like to help me

2. Let/ Make + objeto + bare infinitive

e.g. He made me feel bad

My mother didn’t let me go to the party

PERO, cuando ponemos en pasiva una frase con MAKE, hemos de ponerle TO

e.g. They made the pupil do his homework

The pupil was made to do his homework

El verbo LET no tiene pasiva; en su lugar se pone TO BE ALLOWED TO

e.g. I let my son borrow the car

My son was allowed to borrow the car

3. Los verbos de los sentidos (SEE HEAR WATCH NOTICE FEEL + Noun/ pronoun) pueden ir con:

- GERUNDIO: implica que la acción está incompleta

e.g. I saw the plane falling (lo vi mientras estaba cayendo, pero no vi donde cayó)

- INFINITIVO SIN TO: implica que vimos u oímos una acción completa

e.g. I saw the plane fall (lo vi en el suelo)

OJO!: el verbo SMELL se suele emplear solo en GERUNDIO

e.g. I could smell something burning

VERBOS + GERUNDIOS / INFINITIVOS SIN CAMBIO DE SIGNIFICADO

Algunos verbos pueden ir seguidos tanto de gerundio como de infinitive SIN QUE CAMBIE SU
SIGNIFICADO. Si el verbo está en un tiempo de continuo, se suele preferir el infinitivo. Los mas
comunes son:

ADVISE ALLOW BEGIN CEASE CONTINUE HATE INTEND LIKE LOVE PERMIT PREFER
RECOMMEND START CAN’T STAND

1. Con ADVISE, ALLOW, PERMIT Y RECOMMEND:

- Si se menciona el nombre o pronombre se pone infinitivo, pero si no lo hay debe usarse el

gerundio:

e.g. I advised him to sell the car

I advised selling the car
 B2 GRAMMAR FILES INFANTA ELENA - YOLANDA
GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

- Despues de INTEND, es mas frecuente el infinitive:

e.g. I intend to move house in the summer

- PREFER + infinitive es más frecuente cuando estamos pensando en una ocasión particular

e.g. I prefer to go to the pool today

VERBOS + GERUNDIO / INFINITIVO CON CAMBIO DE SIGNIFICADO

STOP

He stopped smoking last year

He stopped to smoke a cigarette

REGRET

I regret wasting so much money

I regret to tell you that he has died

REMEMBER

I remember taking the suitcase

Please remember to take the suitcase before you leave

FORGET

I will never forget visiting The Tower of London

David always forgets to visit his grandmother

TRY

Try to push the door with both hands

You should try this new method of cooking

GO ON

She went on talking for hours

He told us about his childhood. Then he went on to describe his experiences in the army

MEAN

I didn’t mean to hurt you

His new job will mean travelling a lot