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'Suggest' and 'recommend' never take 'to' + infinitive; they use a gerund or a 'that' clause.
Side-by-side comparison
"Suggest" and "recommend" are synonyms in many contexts: both propose something. The difference lies in the structure that follows them.
She suggested going to the new Thai restaurant for lunch together on Friday.
He suggested that we take a different route to avoid the traffic on the main road.
My flatmate suggested painting the living room a warmer colour before winter arrives.
She suggested stopping for lunch at that little place by the river.
He suggested arriving early to get a good seat before the hall filled up.
"Recommend" can be followed by an infinitive with "to" when there is an object: "I recommend you to try it". "Suggest" never takes this structure.
I really recommend this book. I read it in two days and could not put it down at all.
The doctor recommended that she rest for at least a week before going back to work.
Can you recommend a good language school in the city? I want to improve my French level.
Common mistake
The most common error: infinitive after SUGGEST or RECOMMEND. "She suggested to go" = INCORRECT. "I recommend you to do it" = INCORRECT. SUGGEST and RECOMMEND do not take TO + infinitive as a direct complement (unlike WANT, ASK, TELL, INVITE). Correct: "She suggested GOING" or "I recommend that you DO it."
Trick to remember it
- •Test: can I put "to" directly after the verb (without an object in between)? No = SUGGEST/RECOMMEND (use gerund or that-clause).
- •Yes = WANT/TELL/ADVISE/INVITE.
- •If you need an infinitive with an object, use ADVISE: "I advise you TO read this." Nuance: suggest = to propose (neutral); recommend = to endorse with authority or experience.
Quick rule
- •Suggest / recommend + gerund: "I suggest going." + that-clause: "I suggest that we go." Never + infinitive: "I suggest to go" = INCORRECT.
- •If you need an infinitive = use ADVISE: "I advise you to go."
Did you know?
The error "suggest to go" is one of the most documented in interlanguage research (the intermediate linguistic system of language learners). Most remarkably: even C1 and C2 students make this error in spontaneous production (unplanned speech). The distinction between verbs that take infinitives and verbs that take gerunds in English is one of the phenomena most resistant to formal instruction, learners learn the rule but forget it under the pressure of fast production.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Can you _____ a good restaurant near the city centre?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The doctor _____ ed that she get more sleep and reduce her stress levels.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Exercise 4 · Pick the right one
I suggest _____ the manager before you make a final decision.
Exercise 5 · Pick the right one
She suggested that he _____ a doctor about his back pain.
Exercise 6 · Form the word
Related word pairs
In 'look forward to', the 'to' is a preposition, not part of the infinitive, so it is followed by a gerund (-ing).
'Start' and 'begin' accept both gerund and infinitive with no meaning difference, except with stative verbs or in continuous forms.
'Stop to do' = pause in order to do something else; 'stop doing' = cease doing something.
'Try to do' = attempt to do something; 'try doing' = experiment by doing something to see if it works.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy