Infinitives

What is the infinitive?

The infinitive is the basic form of a verb—the equivalent of “to + verb” in English.

Examples:

• hablar = to speak

• comer = to eat

• vivir = to live

When to use the infinitive? (1)

After another conjugated verb

• Quiero comer. (I want to eat.)

• Voy a estudiar. (I am going to study.)

• Necesito dormir. (I need to sleep.)

When to use the infinitive? (2)

After prepositions (a, de, para, por, sin, etc.)

• Antes de salir. (Before leaving.)

• Es importante para aprender. (It’s important for learning.)

When to use the infinitive? (3)

When talking about an action in general

• Leer es divertido. (Reading is fun.)

• Viajar es mi pasión. (Traveling is my passion.)

When to use the infinitive? (4)

In dictionaries or when naming a verb

• ¿Qué significa escribir? (What does escribir mean?)

• The dictionary lists hablar, not hablo or hablas.

A simple rule to remember

If there is only one verb, you usually conjugate it:

• Ella estudia. (She studies.)

If there are two verbs together, the first verb is conjugated and the second verb is usually in the infinitive:

• Ella quiere estudiar. (She wants to study.)

• Vamos a comer. (We are going to eat.)

• Puedo ayudarte. (I can help you.)

This “first verb conjugated + second verb in the infinitive” pattern is one of the most common sentence structures in Spanish.