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Which one to use?Advancedstructurestructure
InfinitivovsGerundio
With certain verbs (remember, stop, try), the choice between infinitive and gerund completely changes the meaning.
Side-by-side comparison
Infinitivo
structureWith certain verbs, choosing the infinitive or the gerund changes the meaning. "Stop smoking" means to quit; "stop to smoke" means to pause in order to smoke.
Please remember to lock the door when you leave, it is very important for security.
She stopped to look at the flowers in the market window on her way home from work.
I regret to say that the last ticket was sold just five minutes before you arrived here.
Gerundio
structureThe same happens with "remember", "forget", "try", and others. The infinitive refers to something future or intentional; the gerund refers to something past or habitual.
I remember meeting him at a friend's birthday party about three years ago in the summer.
He stopped smoking last year and says he feels so much healthier and happier now.
She regrets not studying harder, she could have done much better in the final exam.
Common mistake
The four meaning-changing pairs:
- 1."stop to smoke" (pause to have a cigarette) vs "stop smoking" (quit smoking).
- 2."Remember to call" (remember you must call) vs "remember calling" (recall having called).
- 3.Most common error: "I stopped to smoke" when you mean you quit the habit.
Trick to remember it
- •Infinitive = action yet to occur (future).
- •Gerund = action already occurred or in progress (past or habitual).
- •"Remember TO do it" = you still need to do it.
- •"Remember DOING it" = you already did it.
Quick rule
- •"Stop/remember/forget TO do" = future action (yet to happen).
- •"Stop/remember/forget DOING" = past or habitual action.
- •"Regret TO say" = you regret what you are about to say.
- •"Regret SAYING" = you regret having said it.
Did you know?
Verbs that change meaning between infinitive and gerund are technically called "verbs with aspectual complements", the choice of complement changes the TEMPORAL ASPECT of the action (whether it looks toward the future or the past). Linguist Randolph Quirk documented them systematically in his "Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language" (1985) as one of the most sophisticated systems in English grammar. Fascinatingly, Spanish does not have this system: "recuerdo llamarla" can mean both that you remember having called her and that you remember you need to call her, and context must clarify which. That Spanish ambiguity makes the English distinction seem like a grammatical luxury, until you realize it allows communicating with much greater precision.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
"She stopped _____ her friend." Which means she stopped in order to talk?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"She stopped _____ her friend." Which means she quit the habit of talking?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
GerundvsInfinitive
Some verbs take a gerund (-ing), others take an infinitive (to + verb), and some take both with different meanings.
Past simplevsPast continuous
Past simple indicates a completed action in the past; past continuous indicates an action in progress at a specific past moment.
Present simplevsPresent continuous
Present simple expresses facts, routines, and permanent truths; present continuous expresses current or temporary actions.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy