Gerund vs Infinitive
- Not: Choose verb + -ing or verb + to after key verbs.
- Master meaning-changers: remember/stop/try/forget/regret.
- TR: Hangi fiilden sonra -ing, hangisinden sonra to gelir; anlam degisenleri ogrenmek.
Start the 8-question quizAdapts to your answers · every miss links back to the rule
Rule in 60 secondsThe one pattern to memorise.
- Not: Some verbs take -ing (enjoy, mind, suggest, avoid), some take to (decide, plan, want, agree).
- A few take both with meaning change: remember, forget, stop, try, regret.
- TR: Liste ezberle + anlam degisen 5 fiile dikkat.
FormsHow it looks in sentences.
| Pattern | Verbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb + -ing | enjoy, mind, avoid, suggest, finish, keep, practise | I enjoy swimming. |
| verb + to | decide, plan, want, need, agree, hope, learn | She decided to leave. |
| both, same meaning | start, begin, continue, like, love, hate | It started to rain / raining. |
| both, meaning change | remember, forget, stop, try, regret | see below |
- Not: Meaning changers:
- Not: remember doing = past memory; remember to do = don't forget a task.
- Not: stop doing = quit; stop to do = pause in order to.
- Not: try doing = experiment; try to do = attempt something hard.
- TR: "Sigarayi birakmak" = stop smoking; "mola verip sigara icmek" = stop to smoke.
- After prepositions always -ing: "I am good at cooking." "Thank you for coming."
- TR: Edattan sonra hep -ing gelir.
- Formül:
enjoy + DOING / decide + TO DO - Örnek:
I REMEMBER LOCKING the door. (hatirliyorum — gecmis) - Örnek:
REMEMBER TO LOCK the door! (unutma — gorev) - Örnek:
We STOPPED TO EAT. (yemek icin durduk) / We STOPPED EATING junk food. (biraktik)
3 classic trapsWhere Turkish speakers slip.
- Tuzak 1 — to after -ing verbs: ❌
I enjoy to swim.→ ✅I enjoy swimming. - TR: enjoy, mind, avoid, suggest + -ing.
- Tuzak 2 — -ing after to-verbs: ❌
She decided leaving.→ ✅She decided to leave. - TR: decide, plan, want, agree + to.
- Tuzak 3 — Swapping the meaning-changers:
- Wrong meaning: "I stopped to smoke." (= I paused to have a cigarette)
- Intended: "I stopped smoking." (= I quit)
- TR: Anlam tamamen degisir; cumleyi iki kez kontrol et.
10 example sentencesRead aloud, twice.
- I enjoy reading detective novels. — Polisiye roman okumaktan keyif alirim.
- She decided to study medicine. — Tip okumaya karar verdi.
- Would you mind opening the window?. — Pencereyi acar misin? (rahatsiz olur musun)
- I remember meeting him at a wedding. — Onunla bir dugunde tanistigimi hatirliyorum.
- Remember to buy some bread!. — Ekmek almayi unutma!
- He stopped smoking last year. — Gecen yil sigarayi birakti.
- We stopped to buy some water. — Su almak icin durduk.
- Try restarting your phone. — Telefonunu yeniden baslatmayi dene. (yontem onerisi)
- She avoided answering the question. — Soruyu cevaplamaktan kacindi.
- I regret telling him the secret. — Ona sirri soyledigime pismanim.
Quick checkCover the answers, say yours first.
- Soru 1: I enjoy ___ (read). → reading.
- Soru 2: She decided ___ (leave). → to leave.
- Soru 3: Past memory: I remember ___ (lock) it. → locking.
- Soru 4: Don't forget: Remember ___ (call) her! → to call.
- Soru 5: Quit: He stopped ___. (smoke) → smoking.
- Soru 6: Pause to: We stopped ___ (drink) tea. → to drink.
- Soru 7: After preposition: good at ___ (cook). → cooking.
- Soru 8: Fix: "Would you mind to help?" → Would you mind helping?