We explain what the verb infinitive is in grammar, various examples and how it is used in a sentence.
What is the verb infinitive?
In grammar, the infinitive is one of the verb modes, that is, one of the possible presentations of a verb. It differs from the others in being a non-personal form: the verb is not conjugated to agree with subject some within a prayer.
Precisely for this reason, in certain grammatical classifications, it is considered a verbose: an incomplete form of the verb. This is because the infinitive lacks grammatical or contextual information: who performs the action, how, when, in what way, etc., and is limited to giving us the meaning semantic, that is, of meaning, of the verb.
Infinitives exist in all languages, and are therefore the way to enunciate or call a verb, that is, an action. In fact, if we look up the meaning of a verb in a dictionary, we will always find it in the infinitive.
The term infinitive It comes from the Latin infinitivus which translates “without limit”, And it was one of the modes of Latin. In Spanish, it is recognized by its verb endings (-ar, -er, -ir) and by its role in the sentence, in which it can play the role of a noun (and therefore, of subject or object), or as an attribute, or as a verb.
Examples of infinitive in Spanish
The infinitive can be found alone, as in dictionary entries, and will always end in -ar, -er, or -ir, for example: speak, eat, write. In this sense, they constitute the "names" of these verbs.
On the other hand, when they are within a sentence, they can appear differently:
- Acting as the subject. Usually accompanied by a Article, or else within a noun phrase of some kind. For example: "Saying goodbye is difficult" or "Good food is a matter for the rich."
- Acting as a direct object. Accompanied by another verb, of which it constitutes an object instead of a subject, answering the question what? or what? For example: "I want to stay home today" or "Ana is going to say something very important."
- Acting as an attribute. Followed by a copulative verb (like the verb “ser / estar”), or as part of an attributive phrase, which attributes properties to a noun. For example: "Growing up is living your way" (here there is a first infinitive as a noun and then another as an attribute) or "How beautiful it is to get married in the Church!"
- As an imperative voice. When used to give an instruction. For example: "Get up, my children!" or "Let's run!"
On the other hand, the infinitive can be used in two ways: the simple one ("love", "drink", "leave") or the compound one, endowed with an auxiliary followed by a participle ("to have loved", "to have drunk", "to have match").
Sentences with an infinitive verb
- María and Victoria are learning to knit.
- Eating well and washing your hands will prevent illness.
- Not everyone can join the project.
- Why don't you want to go home?
- How long are you going to eat, boy!
- Courting the female in the proper way will allow the male to reproduce.
- After sleeping so long, you should be
- To sleep, it is already ten o'clock!
- After drinking that potion, our heroes felt about to die.
- Following me around won't change your mind.
- To love again, what more would I like!
- Have you thought about where we are going to put the fish tank?