GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES
We use GERUNDS:
Tom isn't interested in selling his car
Smoking is bad
- After certain verbs (enjoy, finish, consider, feel like...)
- After prepositions
Tom isn't interested in selling his car
- As the subject of a sentence
Smoking is bad
We use INFINITIVES
- After certain verbs (agree, hesitate, decide, expect, want...)
- After many adjectives and adverbs
- After the direct object (me/him/her....) in verbs such as tell, teach, invite...
We can use either a gerund or an infinitive after some verbs:
- begin, forbid, intend, propose, start....
With other verbs we can use either a gerund or an infinitive but THERE IS A CHANGE IN MEANING:
- FORGET + GERUND (I'll never forget meeting that singer)
- FORGET + INFINITIVE (She always forgets to bring the books)
- REMEMBER + GERUND (I remember giving them their tickets)
- REMEMBER + INFINITIVE (Remember to call when you get home)
- STOP + GERUND ( I stopped smoking last year) Dejar de hacer algo
- STOP + INFINITIVE ( I stopped to eat lunch) Parar para hacer algo
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MODAL VERBS
CAN - ability (I can play the piano)
(poder) - request (Can I go to the bathroom, please?)
- possibility (You can buy the TV onlie)
(poder)
CAN'T - Inability (I can't play the piano)
(no poder) - Prohibition (You can't go to the bathroom)
COULD - Past ability (I could play the piano when I was 6)
(past/polite - Polite request/suggestion (Could I go to the bathroom?)
form of CAN) - Possibility (You could buy the TV online)
MIGHT - Possibility ( I might meet my friends tonight)
(puede que...)
MAY - Possibility ( I may meet my friends tonight)
(podría...? (more than with might)
puede que...) - Polite request (May I go to the bathroom, please? )
SHOULD/OUGHT TO - Give advice (You should /ought to go to the doctor)
(debería)
NEED TO / HAVE TO - Necessity ( You need / have to study more )
(tener que...) - Obligation
NEEDN'T / - Lack of necessity ( You don't have to study more)
DON'T HAVE TO - Lack of obligation
(no tener que...)
MUST - Obligation ( You must take this test to pass the subject)
(deber) - Strong necessity
MUSTN'T - Prohibition ( You mustn't talk on the phone while driving)
(no puedes)
WOULD - Formal request ( Would you stop singing that song, please?)
- Offer ( Would you like to cup of coffe? )
(poder) - request (Can I go to the bathroom, please?)
- possibility (You can buy the TV onlie)
- As we use CAN just in the present tense, for the rest of the verb tenses we use:
(poder)
CAN'T - Inability (I can't play the piano)
(no poder) - Prohibition (You can't go to the bathroom)
COULD - Past ability (I could play the piano when I was 6)
(past/polite - Polite request/suggestion (Could I go to the bathroom?)
form of CAN) - Possibility (You could buy the TV online)
MIGHT - Possibility ( I might meet my friends tonight)
(puede que...)
MAY - Possibility ( I may meet my friends tonight)
(podría...? (more than with might)
puede que...) - Polite request (May I go to the bathroom, please? )
SHOULD/OUGHT TO - Give advice (You should /ought to go to the doctor)
(debería)
NEED TO / HAVE TO - Necessity ( You need / have to study more )
(tener que...) - Obligation
NEEDN'T / - Lack of necessity ( You don't have to study more)
DON'T HAVE TO - Lack of obligation
(no tener que...)
MUST - Obligation ( You must take this test to pass the subject)
(deber) - Strong necessity
MUSTN'T - Prohibition ( You mustn't talk on the phone while driving)
(no puedes)
WOULD - Formal request ( Would you stop singing that song, please?)
- Offer ( Would you like to cup of coffe? )
MODAL PERFECTS
If we want to speculate about a past action we use a MODAL PERFECT:
MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE
MODAL + HAVE + PARTICIPLE
- COULD HAVE ( They could have stopped to rest)
- CAN'T / COULDN'T HAVE (She can't /couldn't have performed at
- MAY / MIGHT HAVE (He may /might have lost the tickets)
- MUST HAVE (It must have been exciting for her to perform
- SHOULD / OUGHT TO (You should /ought to have taken a taxi to
- SHOULDN'T HAVE (We shouldn't have come by car)
- WOULD HAVE ( I would have called you back but it was too late)