To + infinitive
How do we know when to use ‘to + infinitive’ (to know, to see, to find etc), and not the gerund or the bare infinitive? It can be difficult to know, but we have three rules as to when we use the ‘to + infinitive’.
When to use ‘to + infinitive’
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ after specific verbs. (ask to go, plan to find etc.).
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ after most adjectives to give a reason. (happy, difficult etc.).
- We use ‘to + infinitive’ to show purpose, ‘to & for’ for a full description on ‘to for purpose’.
We use ‘to + infinitive’ after specific verbs
| Specific Verbs that take 'to + infinitive' | Examples |
|---|---|
| Want | Did they really want to jet ski? |
| Learn | You must learn to behave. |
| Plan | She’s planning to take a Spanish course. |
| Hope | David hopes to become an astronaut. |
| Decide | Don’t decide to leave so soon, please. |
| Help | Can you help me to solve this? |
| Promise | Our clients promised to make a deal with us. |
| Would like | He wouldn’t like to come with us. |
| Decide | We’ve decided to try |
| Agree | Don’t agree to stay if you don’t want to. |
| Ask | I’m asking you to do it for me. |
| Would love | She’d love to join in. |
| Would hate | I’d hate to know. |
| Wait | They’ve been waiting to see their favourite actor. |
| Seem | The washing seems to be done. |
| Manage | Could you manage to make an appointment? |
| Offer | My employer offered me more vacation time. |
| Choose | You can choose to leave if you want. |
| Can afford | Henry can’t afford to go. |
| Demand | I’m demanding you to leave at once! |
| Prepare | Please, prepare to wait, there’s a long line. |
| Arrange | He’ll arrange for you to arrive at 22:00. |
| Deserve | James doesn’t deserve to win the lottery. |
| Claim | Are you claiming to be a charlatan? |
| Appear | My bike doesn’t appear to be working. |
| Intend | They intend for you to have great success. |
| Expect | I don’t expect you to understand. |
| Tend | They tend to have an absent mind. |
| Would prefer | They’d prefer to come tonight. |
| Refuse | You guys can refuse to bail. |
| Pretend | Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. |
We use ‘to + infinitive’ after most adjectives to give a reason (happy, difficult etc).
| Adjectives | Examples |
|---|---|
| Happy | My wife and I are happy to give you this gift as a token of our appreciation. |
| Difficult | The way the world can be difficult to master. |
| Big | You’re too big to challenge him. |
| Nice | It’s very nice to see you today. |
| Kind | It’s very kind of you to do that. |
| Mean | I was being mean in order to hurt them. |
| Grateful | I was being grateful to encourage you. |
| Proud | They are proud to be my parents in law. |
| Surprised | The locals were surprised to see me. |
| Anxious | I’m feeling anxious to wash the dishes. |
| Pleased | They are so pleased to meet us. |
| Sad | I’m sad to see you leave. |
We use ‘to + infinitive’ to show purpose
- I interviewed her to know what had happened
- I bought the vase to give to my mom.
- Mary opened the door to see who was there.
- We’re going to find the suspect to put him in jail.
- I rang my mum to see how she was going.
- You need to study a lot to pass your exam.
- He turned the light on to see better.
Utilising the ‘to + infinitive’ construction can be a little tricky and It’s highly recommended that you read this article To & for that fully explains and elaborates on the usage of ‘to’ and ‘for’.