Infinitives
Spanish: KS3, topic 20.1.5
Infinitives
Infinitives are one of the key building blocks of Spanish grammar.
Infinitives explained
- An infinitive phrase is a verb form that typically begins with the word ‘to’ in English, e.g. 'to swim'.
- Infinitives in Spanish end in AR, ER, or IR:
- Bailar = to dance.
- Comer = to eat.
- Vivir = to live.
- A sentence in Spanish may begin with: 'para continuar', or 'para cantar', meaning 'in order to continue', 'in order to sing'.
- There are also set phrases (called 'dichos', in Spanish) with the infinitive, e.g. 'es decir' or 'por decir', meaning 'that is to say'.
Infinitives continued
- An infinitive is often used after a conjugated verb:
- 'Voy a hacer algo' (I am going to do something) - 'voy' is the conjugated verb (I am going), and 'hacer' is the infinitive (to do).
- 'Quiero hablar contigo' (I want to speak to you) - 'quiero' is the conjugated verb (I want), and 'hablar' is the infinitive (to speak).
- However, you can also follow a conjugated verb with the gerund ('ing' words), e.g. 'estamos haciendo' (we are making).
Infinitives continued
- You can use the infinitive as a noun too, e.g.
- 'Bailar tango es difícil' (dancing the tango is difficult) - 'bailar', as the infinitive, acts as a noun.
- 'Lo hice sin pensar' (I did it without thinking) - 'pensar' acts as the noun.
Test yourself on Infinitives
Which is the infinitive in the following sentence?
'No quiero hablar contigo. Estás muy desagradable.'You can use the infinitive as a noun. Select the sentence that does NOT use the infinitive as a noun.