Gerund vs Infinitive — enjoy reading, want to read

B1 — grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing

Kenji: I enjoy learning Spanish, but I want to speak it faster!

Sofía: Then keep practicing. I decided to study design at 17, and I haven't stopped drawing since.

Ben: I avoid making plans. Plans need to be flexible... like me.

Abuela Carmen: Ben, you promised to fix my radio in March. Do you mind finishing it... this year?

Common mistake: “I enjoy to read.” — Correct: “I enjoy reading.”

Some verbs are followed by -ing (enjoy reading) and others by to + verb (want to read) — the first verb decides the form of the second.

• +ing enjoy — disfrutar
• +ing avoid — evitar
• +ing finish — terminar
• +ing keep — seguir (haciendo)
• +ing mind — importar / molestar
• +ing suggest — sugerir
• +to want — querer
• +to need — necesitar
• +to decide — decidir
• +to hope — esperar (anhelar)
• +to promise — prometer
• +to learn — aprender

• I enjoy reading before bed.
• Kenji wants to visit every region of Colombia.
• Sofía decided to open her own studio.
• Ben keeps losing his phone.
• She doesn't want to move to another city.
• I don't enjoy running in the rain.
• He didn't promise to come.
• Do you enjoy learning English?
• What do you want to do this weekend?
• Do you mind closing the window?
• Do you enjoy cooking? Yes, I do.
• Does she want to travel? Yes, she does.
• Did they decide to stay? No, they didn't.

Practice

1. I enjoy ___ before bed. (reading, to read, read)
2. Kenji wants ___ every region of Colombia. (visiting, to visit, visit)
3. Ben keeps ___ his phone. (to lose, lose, losing)
4. I study English ___ a better job. (for get, to get, getting)
5. After 'enjoy', 'avoid' and 'finish', the next verb takes -ing.
6. 'I want going home' is correct.
7. She decided ___ (open) her own studio.
8. I don't mind ___ (wait).
9. He promised ___ (fix) the radio in March.
10. Unscramble: I, enjoy, learning, English
11. Unscramble: do, you, want, to, travel, next, year
12. Find the mistake: I enjoy to read before bed.
13. Find the mistake: She wants visiting Japan.
14. Find the mistake: I'm interested in learn photography.
15. She enjoys cooking. — Write the negative form.
16. They decided to stay. — Write the yes/no question.
17. Do you enjoy learning English? — Answer with a short answer (Yes).
18. I want to move to another city. — Write the negative form.
19. He doesn't keep practicing. — Write the affirmative form.
20. Do you enjoy studying grammar? (short answer)
21. Do you want to repeat this exercise? (short answer, No)

Listening

Sofía: Kenji, what do you hope to do before you go back to Japan?

Kenji: I hope to see whales in the Pacific! And I want to learn one vallenato song.

Ben: I suggest starting with the whales. I tried singing vallenato once... my neighbors keep talking about it.

Abuela Carmen: He means they keep complaining about it.

Kenji: I don't mind being bad at first. I enjoy trying new things!

Abuela Carmen: That's the spirit. Now, who wants to eat?

Reading

Sofía's advice column for young designers: 'People often ask me how to start. First: if you enjoy drawing, keep drawing — talent is just practice that refused to stop. Second: decide to learn something new every month; I learned to use five programs by promising to master one at a time. Third: avoid comparing your first steps with someone else's twentieth year. And last: don't stop asking questions. I hope to keep learning until I'm ninety — like my grandmother, who started painting at seventy and doesn't plan to stop.'

• Sofía says talent is practice that refused to stop.
• She suggests learning ten programs at the same time.
• Her grandmother started painting at seventy.
• Sofía plans to stop learning at forty.