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Grammar
Verbs and tense A2 B1 B2

Gerunds and infinitives

Choose -ing or to + verb after common verbs, adjectives, nouns, prepositions, and expressions.

Visual guide

The frame chooses the second action shape

FRAME = word/phrase before the second action

FRAME asks: “How do I see the second action?”
        │
        ├─ as an activity / thing → verb + -ing
        │  I enjoy cooking at home.
        │
        ├─ as a next step / goal → to + verb
        │  I want to cook tonight.
        │
        └─ to is a connector in the frame → to + verb-ing
           I’m looking forward to meeting you.

Look at the frame before the second action: it chooses -ing, to + verb, or to + -ing when to is a connector.

Introduction

Two forms for a second action

English often puts a second action after a first word: a verb, adjective, noun, or preposition. That second action usually appears as a gerund, the -ing form used like a noun, or as an infinitive, to + base verb. The choice is not simply about time. It depends on the frame before the action. Compare I enjoy cooking at home with I want to cook tonight. Learn common frames as chunks, because the first word often chooses the form that follows.
Core Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I enjoy cooking at home.

Enjoy is followed by a gerund, not an infinitive.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I enjoy cooking
subject_plus_verb_frame
A verb frame with a gerund after enjoy.
Learn as one unit
at home
time_place_context
Adds where the activity happens.
Contrast Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I want to cook tonight.

Want points to a desired next action, so it takes to + verb.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I want to cook
subject_plus_verb_frame
A verb frame with an infinitive after want.
Learn as one unit
tonight
time_context
Adds when the action may happen.
Cognitive metaphor

Activity as a thing, action as a next step

A useful image: a gerund turns an action into a thing you can name, discuss, like, avoid, or place after a preposition. It treats the action as an activity or topic. An infinitive often points to a next step, aim, need, plan, or result. Running every morning gives her energy names the activity. She went outside to run points to purpose. This image helps, but it is not a complete rule for every verb. Use it together with memorized frames such as enjoy doing, decide to do, and be interested in doing.
Core Grammar A2 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

Running every morning gives her energy.

A gerund phrase can act like a noun phrase and be the subject of a sentence.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

Running every morning
gerund_subject
The -ing form names the activity as the subject.
Learn as one unit
gives her energy
main_predicate
Says what the activity does for her.
Contrast Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

She went outside to run.

The infinitive often points to purpose or a next step.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

She went outside
main_action
The main action.
to run
purpose_infinitive
The infinitive shows the purpose of going outside.
Learn as one unit
Core pattern

Verb frames choose -ing or to + verb

Many verbs strongly prefer one form after them. Use gerunds after enjoy, avoid, finish, consider, suggest, miss, and mind. He avoided answering the question. Use infinitives after want, need, hope, plan, decide, agree, promise, offer, refuse, and learn. She promised not to be late. With some verbs, the object comes before the infinitive: ask someone to do something, tell someone to do something, want someone to do something, need someone to do something. These frames are more reliable than a general meaning guess, so learn them as verb patterns.
Core Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

He avoided answering the question.

Avoid belongs to the group of verbs followed by -ing.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

He avoided answering
verb_plus_gerund
Avoid is followed by a gerund.
Learn as one unit
the question
object
The thing he did not answer.
Negative Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

She promised not to be late.

The negative infinitive is not to + verb.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

She promised not to be
verb_plus_negative_infinitive
Promise is followed by an infinitive; not goes before to.
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late
complement
The state she promised to avoid.
Sentence xray

How the chunks fit together

Sentence X-ray shows how the frame holds the second action. Do you mind waiting here? chunks as Do you mind waiting / here; the core is Do you mind waiting, a polite request frame. They asked me to send the file chunks as They / asked me to send / the file; the core is asked me to send, verb + object + infinitive. The object me receives the request, and to send the file is the requested action. The first verb carries tense: asked, ask, will ask. The following form stays waiting or to send.
Question Grammar B1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

Do you mind waiting here?

Mind is followed by a gerund; Do you mind -ing? is a useful polite request.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

Do you mind waiting
polite_question_frame
A polite question frame followed by a gerund.
Learn as one unit
here
place_context
The place where the listener waits.
Core Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

They asked me to send the file.

Some verbs take object + to + verb: ask someone to do something.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

They
subject
The people making the request.
asked me to send
verb_object_infinitive
Ask someone to do something.
Learn as one unit
the file
object
The thing to send.
Contrast

To + verb or to + -ing?

Be careful with to. Sometimes to starts an infinitive, and the next word is the base verb: I hope to meet you. Sometimes to is a preposition inside an expression, and after any preposition English uses a gerund: I’m looking forward to meeting you. Common preposition frames include be interested in doing, think about doing, apologize for doing, insist on doing, and leave without doing. The same logic explains be used to doing: I’m used to working late means working late is familiar. It is different from used to do, which talks about a past habit.
Contrast Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I hope to meet you.

Here to marks an infinitive, so it is followed by the base verb meet.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I hope to meet
infinitive_after_verb
Hope is followed by an infinitive.
Learn as one unit
you
object
The person the speaker wants to meet.
Contrast Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

I’m looking forward to meeting you.

In this expression, to is a preposition, not an infinitive marker.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I’m looking forward to meeting
preposition_expression
Look forward to uses to as a preposition, so the next verb is -ing.
Learn as one unit
you
object
The person the speaker will meet.
Contrast Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

I’m used to working late.

Be used to doing means something is familiar; it is not the same as used to do for past habits.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I’m used to working
familiarity_expression
Be used to is followed by a gerund because to is a preposition.
Learn as one unit
late
time_manner_context
Describes the working pattern.
Core pattern

After adjectives and nouns

After many adjectives, use an infinitive to complete the idea. It can explain difficulty, readiness, emotion, possibility, or judgment: It’s hard to explain. It also appears after too and enough: too tired to drive, old enough to vote. After nouns, the infinitive often tells what the noun is for or what action belongs to it: We need a place to stay. With nouns followed by prepositions, the preposition controls the form, so use a gerund: There is no excuse for arriving late. Practical frames are adjective + to do, noun + to do, and preposition + doing.
Core Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

It’s hard to explain.

Many adjectives are completed by an infinitive.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

It’s hard
dummy_subject_adjective
An adjective evaluation frame.
to explain
infinitive_complement
The infinitive completes the adjective idea.
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

We need a place to stay.

An infinitive can complete a noun by showing purpose or use.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

We need a place
need_plus_noun
The noun that needs more information.
to stay
noun_infinitive
The infinitive explains the purpose of the place.
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

There is no excuse for arriving late.

After a preposition such as for, use a gerund.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

There is no excuse for arriving
negative_noun_frame
For is a preposition, so it is followed by a gerund.
Learn as one unit
late
time_manner_context
Adds what was wrong about the arrival.
Contrast

Same verb, different meaning

Some verbs can take both forms, but the meaning changes. Stop doing means end an activity: We stopped talking when the movie started. Stop to do means pause one activity in order to do another: We stopped to talk to a neighbor. Remember to do and forget to do are about a duty or action that may happen later; remember doing and forget doing look back at an earlier action. Try doing means test a method; try to do means make an effort. Regret doing is about a past action, while regret to say or regret to inform is a formal announcement.
Contrast Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

We stopped talking when the movie started.

The gerund after stop names the activity that ended.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

We stopped talking
stop_plus_gerund
Stop doing means end an activity.
Learn as one unit
when the movie started
time_clause
Shows when the activity ended.
Contrast Grammar B1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

We stopped to talk to a neighbor.

The infinitive after stop gives the purpose of stopping.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

We stopped to talk
stop_plus_infinitive
Stop to do means stop another activity in order to do this.
Learn as one unit
to a neighbor
recipient_or_partner
The person they talked to.
Form variations

Negatives, passive forms, and perfect forms

Gerunds and infinitives also have negative and passive forms. For an infinitive negative, put not before to: promise not to do, decide not to go. For a gerund negative, put not before the -ing form: not going, not replying. Passive infinitives use to be + past participle: They hope to be invited. Passive gerunds use being + past participle: She dislikes being interrupted. Perfect forms such as having finished or to have finished are possible, but they are less common in everyday speech. Use them mainly when the time relationship must be very clear.
Formal Grammar B2 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

They hope to be invited.

Passive infinitives are useful when the subject receives the action.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

They hope
subject_plus_verb
The controlling verb.
to be invited
passive_infinitive
Passive infinitive: to be + past participle.
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar B2 Vocabulary B1 Neutral

She dislikes being interrupted.

Passive gerunds use being + past participle.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

She dislikes being interrupted
verb_plus_passive_gerund
Dislike is followed by a gerund; being interrupted is passive.
Learn as one unit
Danger zone

Common mistakes to avoid

Common errors come from forcing one form everywhere. A common mistake is I enjoy to cook at home. The corrected frame is I enjoy cooking at home. Another danger is using to after verbs that take a bare infinitive. After let and make, use object + base verb; help can use either base verb or to + base verb. Also avoid putting an infinitive after a preposition: after, before, by, for, in, of, about, without, and to in preposition expressions all need -ing. If you are unsure, check the whole frame, not only the second verb.
Mistake Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I enjoy to cook at home.

Enjoy is not followed by an infinitive in standard English.

Corrected Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I enjoy cooking at home.

Use enjoy + -ing.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

I enjoy cooking
verb_plus_gerund
Enjoy is followed by the gerund.
Learn as one unit
at home
place_context
Adds where the activity happens.
Summary

Choose by frame first

Quick decision path: first look at the word before the second action. If it is a preposition, choose -ing. If it is an adjective or a noun that needs completion, to + verb is often natural. If it is a verb, learn that verb’s frame: enjoy doing, decide to do, ask someone to do. Then check special verbs whose meaning changes, such as stop or remember. Finally, place not before the form, not inside it. Gerunds name activities; infinitives often point to a next step, but frames decide the final choice.
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