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Gerund vs Infinitive — "I Enjoy Working" vs "I Want to Work"

10 min

The problem

In French, the infinitive handles almost everything: j'aime travailler, je veux travailler, je continue de travailler. English splits these into two patterns — and using the wrong one is a grammar error that native speakers immediately notice.

Verbs + gerund (-ing)

"I enjoy working with this team." NOT ~~"I enjoy to work."~~
J'aime travailler avec cette équipe.
→ enjoy, avoid, consider, finish, keep, mind, suggest, recommend, risk, imagine → always + -ing

Verbs + infinitive (to + verb)

"I want to finish this by Friday." NOT ~~"I want finishing."~~
Je veux finir ça d'ici vendredi.
→ want, need, decide, plan, hope, expect, agree, offer, refuse, learn → always + to

Verbs that take BOTH (with different meanings)

"I stopped smoking." = I quit smoking (permanently).
"I stopped to smoke." = I paused what I was doing in order to have a cigarette.
Same verb, completely different meaning depending on -ing or to.

"I remember sending the email." = I sent it, and I remember doing it.
"I remembered to send the email." = I didn't forget — I remembered, then sent it.
-ing = memory of a past action. To = remembering before doing.

The work essentials

-ing: "I suggest postponing the meeting." "Would you mind sending me the file?" "I've finished writing the report."
to: "I need to check with my manager." "We agreed to extend the deadline." "I'd like to schedule a call."

Common mistakes

~~"I enjoy to work here"~~ → "I enjoy working here."
~~"I suggest to postpone"~~ → "I suggest postponing."
~~"I avoid to make mistakes"~~ → "I avoid making mistakes."
~~"Would you mind to help me?"~~ → "Would you mind helping me?"

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Fix these French-influenced restaurant phrases:

‘I take the salmon, please.’
‘Can we have the addition?’
‘I am allergic at nuts.’

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