Spanish Infinitives and How Theyre Used

Spanish Infinitives and How Theyre Used Definition of 'Infinitive' The infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. In Spanish, infinitives always end in -ar, -er or -ir, with -ar being the most common. In English, infinitive is usually used to refer to the to verb form of the verb such as to run or to eat, although according to some authorities the infinitives are run and eat. An infinitive by itself does not indicate tense nor who or what is performing the action of the verb. In both English and Spanish, the infinitive can often function as a noun. In Spanish, such a noun is always masculine and is usually used in the singular form. The Spanish word for infinitive is infinitivo. Other examples of infinitives in Spanish are hablar, viajar, comprender, and resistir. The corresponding English infinitives are to speak, to travel, to understand, and to resist. Using Infinitives as the Subject of a Sentence It is very common in Spanish for an infinitive to be the subject of a sentence or clause. In translation to English, either the infinitive or the gerund can be used, although Spanish gerunds cant function as nouns. For example, the sentence Salir es difà ­cil could be translated as either To leave is difficult or Leaving is difficult. Often when an infinitive is the subject, it can follow the verb. Thus it would be possible to render the Spanish sentence as Es difà ­cil salir. Amar is mejor que ser amado. (To love is better than being loved.)No es posible comer todo el dà ­a de manera saludable. (Eating all day is not possible in a healthy way. Alternative translation: It is not possible to eat all day in a healthy way.)El ser humano comparte muchas caracterà ­sticas con los primates. (The human being shares many characteristics with the primates.) Using Infinitives as Prepositional Objects In Spanish but not usually in English, infinitives are often the objects of prepositions. The gerund is typically used in translation to English. Tu hija no tiene ya la capacidad para entender tus reglas. (Your daughter doesnt yet have the capacity for understanding your rules. Para is the preposition here.)El tenista confirmà ³ que le ofrecieron dinero por perder un partido. (The tennis player confirmed that they offered him money for losing a match. The preposition here is por.) Using Infinitives as a Verbal Object In a sentence such as Espero comprar una casa (I hope to buy a house), the infinitive in both language retains qualities of both noun and verb - noun because its an object and a verb because it has  an object of its own (una casa or a house). Ayer te vi salir de tu oficina. (Yesterday I saw you leaving your office.)Necesito cambiar el nombre de usuario. (I need to change my user name.)Quiero comer  pronto. (I want to eat soon.) Using Infinitives as a Verbal Complement Infinitives are often used as the complement of a copulative or linking verb: This is especially common with forms of ser, meaning to be. Lo ms importante es saber que usted no ests sola. (The most important thing is to know you are not alone.)Todo lo que yo querà ­a era hablar contigo. (All that I wanted was to talk with you.)Katarina me parece ser una buen artista. (Katarina seems to me to be a good artist.) Infinitives as Commands In Spanish, it is common in recipes and on signs, less so in speech, to use an infinitive as a type of command. Such a construction is rare in English with the exception of this negative command: Not to worry. Mezclar los ingredientes en el siguiente orden. (Mix the ingredients in the following order.)No fumar. (No smoking.) Forming a Future Tense Using Infinitives The periphrastic future tense is common in both Spanish and English. It is formed by using a present tense of ir a or to go followed by an infinitive. In some Spanish-speaking areas, the periphrastic future has mostly replaced the conjugated future tense. In both languages, it is considered less formal than the standard future tense. Van a estudiar las principales teorà ­as. (They are going to study the principal theories.)Voy a probarlo una vez. (Im going to try it once.)