BASIC GRAMMAR STRUCTURES: THE BARE INFINITIVE

The bare infinitive refers to the infinitive form of the verb without the particle “to”. When should you use this verb form?

1-After modal verbs: Can, could, may, might, should, must, shall, will, would
Now I know I can do whatever I put my mind to
The lights are off, so they might be away
Shemust have seen him
I will go as long as you go with me
That would be a very good decision

2- After“make”, “let”y “have” when they are causative verbs: (the subject kind of causes the action to take place, but the subject does not perform the action)
She makes me laugh a lot when she tells her best jokes,
My mother doesn’t by any meanslet me go out
I had my mother do my homework

3- After sense verbs when the action is perceived all through: (see, watch, observe, notice, feel, hear)
I saw him play football = Lo vi jugar al futbol.(You saw the whole match)
I heard her lock the door = La escuchécerrar la puerta. (You heard the action from the start to the end)

4- We also use it with the expressions “had better”, “would rather” and “would sooner”:
You had better do it now if you don’t want me to tell you off (you should do it…)
I would rather go to the cinema (preferiríair al cine)
I would sooner marry a horse (Antes me casaba con un caballo)

5- Either the bare infinitive or the to-infinitive e can be harassed with the verb “help” as well as the phrases “All I do is” and “What I do is”:
Could you please help me (to) take this box out?
All I did was (to) wait for the right moment
What I’ve done is (to) hire a more competent worker

BASIC GRAMMAR STRUCTURES: “TO” INFINITIVE

Es la estructura con la que más nos vamos a topar en inglés, así que hay que aprender bien con qué verbos se usa. A continuación tenéis una oración con cada uno de esos verbos.
Wishes:
He doesn’t wantto hurt your feelings = Él no quiereherirtussentimientos
We would like tohave more friends = Nos gustaríatenermás amigos
I would love to go to Japan someday
I wish to speak to the manager, please = Deseohablar con el director, por favor
She yearned to escape from her office job = Anhelabaescaparse de sutrabajo de oficina
I hope tosee you again = Esperoverteotravez

Orders:
They asked to leave the room
The teacher ordered to be quiet
She told me to take a picture of her
The police demanded to see my passport
I beg you to cease your relations with him

Decisions:
We agreed to go to the cinema tomorrow = Acordamosir al cine mañana
He refused tohelp me yesterday = Ayer se negó a ayudarme
Have you arranged to meet him? = Has quedado con él para veros?
He decided to look for a more demanding job
Many people choose not to marry nowadays

Processes and outcomes:
It started to rain = Empezó a llover
He began to pick on me = Empezó a meterseconmigo
I will continue to improve my English = Seguirémejorando mi inglés
She failed to get into art college
He managed to arrive at the airport in time

Intentions:
I intend to study abroad next year
Politicians are aiming to reduce unemployment by 50%
I will attempt to answer your question
The burglar threatened to break into the house again
I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
He promised to come back the next day
I didn’t mean to hurt you
How long do you plan to stay?

Reality
He appears to be eating = Pareceestarcomiendo
He seems to be eating = Pareceestarcomiendo
I sometimes pretend to be studying so my parents don’t tell me off

Other verbs:
You have todo it = Tútienes que hacerlo
They need to study more = Necesitanestudiarmás
British speakers tend to use the word “lift” rather than “elevator”.
They expect to win the game easily
She learnt to speak English in only 2 years
The writer certainly deserves to win a Nobel prize
I can’t bear to be alone
I can’t stand to hear them arguing

BASIC GRAMMAR STRUCTURES: THE “-ING” FORM

Certain verbs are followed by an –ing form. Here you have the most important ones.

Tastes
I detest waking up early in the morning
He hates washing my car when it’s filthy
My sister dislikes being away from home
I like spending time with my friends at the weekend
I feel like having a snack
I have always fancied living in Japan
My brother enjoys watching films at the cinema
They love playing board games on rainy days
I prefer reading books to watching films

Saying and thinking
She admitted committing the crime
She admitted having committed the crime
She denied committing the crime
She denied having committed the crime
Would you consider buying a new car if you had enough money?
My suggested buying a new car when my brother was born
The author of the book recommends reading the book before watching the film

Sense verbs:
I saw him reading a book in the park
They heard your dog barking as they crossed the street
*there are more sense verbs, but these two are the most common ones

Other verbs:
You should avoid mentioning his divorce
I’ve already finished doing my homework
I keep forgetting to pay you back
I miss walking along the beach with my grandfather
You should practice playing the piano more often
The job involves travelling all around the world
Would you mind explaining that again, please?

Verbs with a notablechange in meaning:
Remember
John remembers to take the rubbish out every evening
I remember walking along the beach with my grandfather

Regret
We regret to inform all the passengers that the flight has been delayed
We regret hurting you by telling you so many lies

Forget
I forgot to phone you yesterday. I’m so sorry!
I will never forget meeting him for the first time

Stop
He stopped to smoke a cigarette
The doctor said I should stop smoking immediately

Try
What are you trying to do?
If you find doing the dishes boring,you may want to try doing it while listening to music

Verbs with a subtle change in meaning
Tastes: Love, like, hate, prefer
Processes: Start, begin, continue
Other verbs: Can’t stand, can’t bear