English — Gerund vs infinitive after verbs

Some verbs are followed by the -ing form, others by the to-infinitive, and a few accept both. Choosing the wrong one — as in the incorrect I enjoy to read — sounds unnatural to native speakers.

How it works

✓ Rule

Verbs like enjoy, avoid and mind are followed by the -ing form (I enjoy reading), while want, hope and decide take the to-infinitive (I want to leave). The pattern is fixed by the first verb, not by the meaning.

Examples

Common verbs and the form that follows
Verb	Followed by	Example
enjoy	+ -ing	I enjoy reading.
avoid	+ -ing	She avoids driving at night.
mind	+ -ing	Do you mind waiting?
want	+ to-infinitive	I want to go home.
hope	+ to-infinitive	We hope to win.
decide	+ to-infinitive	He decided to leave.
like	+ -ing / to	I like swimming. / I like to swim.
start	+ -ing / to	It started raining. / It started to rain.

Good to know

⚠ Note

Verbs like like, start and continue take either form with almost no change in meaning. But a few change meaning: remember to lock the door (a task ahead) versus remember locking the door (a past memory); the same happens with stop and try.