- What are infinitive verbs?
- Functions of verbs in the infinitive
- Examples of infinitive verbs
- Sentences with infinitive verbs
We explain what infinitive verbs are, their endings and what functions they can fulfill. Also, examples and use in sentences.
The infinitive can be used as part of instructions and prohibitions.What are infinitive verbs?
In grammar, the infinitive Verbal is one of the fixed ways in which any verb It can appear, part of the so-called verboids (together with the gerund and the participle), since they are not conjugated, but act as if they were words from another grammatical category.
Thus, infinitives are still verbs, but they act in the language as if they were nouns. That is why they are conventionally chosen to "name" verbs in general, that is, as a lexical piece or entry for a dictionary, for example, instead of the verbs themselves conjugated for one or another person or case.
Verbal infinitives are common to all languages and are determined in each one by its particular rules. In Spanish they always end in the particles “-ar”, “-er” or “-ir”, like to love, fear or leave.
As it will be seen, these examples do not present any of the morphological marks of the conjugation (verbal person, verb mood, verb tense, etc.), present instead in "amaré", "fear" or "departás", although it is possible that present clitic pronouns at the end, as in the cases of "love you," "fear me," or "parting."
Functions of verbs in the infinitive
The infinitives fulfill various functions within the idiom, beyond serving as a “name” for verbs, that is, as a label for dictionaries. Among these functions we find the following:
- Subject of the prayer. Since it acts as a noun, the infinitive can take the place of the subject of the sentence in cases like “To run it is the only thing that will save us ”.
- Verbal complement. Likewise, it can be used as a verbal complement, just as a noun would be used, in cases such as “I only want to live”(Direct complement),“ We are dedicated to trade goods ”(indirect complement) or“ I regretted give me account of everything ”(circumstantial complement).
- Other sentence complements.It also works as a complement in different situations, as in the cases of “She is difficult to understand”(Complement of adjective), “We saw you arrive all arranged ”(predicative complement),“ I sat down after look at everywhere ”(complement of adverb) or supplement in complex sentences.
- As generalized instruction. The infinitive is used as part of the instructions and prohibitions such as “No to smoke", "No get in without shoes "or"Introduce the bill in the slot ”.
Examples of infinitive verbs
| Ending in -ar | Ending in -er | Ending in -ir |
|---|---|---|
| Buy | To protect | To lie |
| Have | Foresee | Applaud |
| Hoist | Undertake | Sleep |
| Strip | To hold | Insist |
| Achieve | To convince | Assist |
| Think | Lash out | Deny |
| Add | Stop | Steer |
| Subtract | To surprise | Prevent |
| To ease | Get | To decide |
| Educate | Read | To choose |
| Hinder | Fall | Prefer |
| Associate | Set | Write |
| Use | Grind | Grab |
| Elucidate | To hurt | Pretend |
| Tie | To eat | Ask |
| Defeat | Cook | Squeeze |
| Catalog | Sew | Darn |
| Sort out | Twist | Live |
| Torment | Smell | Follow |
| Bear | To compose | |
| Train | Help | Divide |
| Enchant | Return | Get out |
| Banish | To drink | To repeat |
| Cushion | Submit | Subsist |
| Respect | To put | Flee |
| Start | Move | To compete |
| Finish | Propose | Abolish |
| To regret | See | Suppress |
| Jam | To be | Desist |
| Make up for | Have | Correct |
| Change | Can | Infringe upon |
| Decorate | to usually do | To serve |
| Highlight | To hold | Introduce |
| To call | Undertake | To size |
| Confiscate | Demolish | Spread |
| Bury | To lose | Erect |
| Dress | Understand | Shake |
| Accompany | Learn | To curse |
| Paint | To tend | Press |
| To study | To offer | To laugh |
Sentences with infinitive verbs
- You have to work to eat.
- I wish we could travel more often.
- The police are going to have to hunt down more thieves.
- We couldn't see anything at the cinema.
- Drinking is not going to solve your problems.
- To think better you have to read and write very often.
- You always need help when choosing.
- You don't always have to climb to get higher.
- She had such a strange walk that they could immediately recognize her.
- When it comes to dancing, they can't beat me.
- Do not feed the animals.
- Winning is our only purpose.
- Do you really want to know?
- I cannot accept that you have decided to do
- What I am going to tell you is easy to understand.