⇒ The infinitive is the most basic form of a verb.
⇒ Verbs in the infinitive form indicate what an action is, but do not indicate anything about who is doing the action or at what point in time the action is taking place.
⇒ In Spanish, when a verb functions as a noun, the infinitive is used, and it is always singular and masculine.
⇒ It can be used as the subject of a sentence or the object of another verb or preposition.
⇒ When the infinitive is used as a noun, you don't usually use an article (such as el or un) with it, though it's acceptable to use the article el in front of an infinitive that is the subject of a sentence.
| Bailar tango es difícil.Dancing the tango is hard. |
| Está prohibido sacar fotos aquí.Taking pictures is prohibited here. |
| Pienso salir con él.I am thinking about going out with him. |
| Lo hice sin pensar.I did it without thinking. |
| El nadar es buen ejercicio.Swimming is good exercise. |
⇒ Spanish infinitives can often be translated into English as infinitives (like to do) or gerunds (like doing).
| Me gusta nadar.I like to swim. / I like swimming. |
| Hablar español es divertido.Speaking Spanish is fun. / It is fun to speak Spanish. |
⇒ To form an infinitive command, simply use the word no followed by an infinitive. You don't need to conjugate anything!
| No fumar.No smoking. |
| Batir los huevos.Beat the eggs. |
⇒ Here are some verbs and verb phrases commonly used before another verb in the infinitive.
| aceptar | to accept |
| acordar | to agree |
| afirmar | to say, to state |
| amenazar | to threaten |
| anhelar | to long for |
| asegurar | to assure |
| buscar | to look for |
| creer | to believe |
| deber | to have to, should |
| decidir | to decide |
| demostrar | to show |
| desear | to desire, to want |
| enseñar a | to teach |
| esperar | to hope for |
| fingir | to pretend |
| gustar | to like |
| intentar | to try |
| ir a | to go |
| lamentar | to regret |
| lograr | to succeed in |
| negar | to deny |
| pensar en | to think about, to think of |
| poder | to be able to |
| preferir | to prefer |
| prometer | to promise |
| querer | to want |
| reconocer | to acknowledge |
| recordar | to remember |
| seguir | to follow, to continue |
| sentir | to feel |
| soler | to be used to |
| temer | to fear |
| tener que | to have |
| tratar de | to try |
| Vamos a bailar.We are going to dance. |
| Tienes que sacar la basura.You have to take out the trash. |
| Quiero salir para la fiesta.I want to leave for the party. |
| Me gusta dibujar.I like to draw. |