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🧩 Lesson 8.2: Verb Patterns — -ing or to-infinitive

Sometimes one verb comes right after another: "I enjoy cooking," "I want to cook." Both are correct — but the second verb changes shape. Some verbs are followed by the -ing form, and others by the to-infinitive. In this lesson you'll learn which is which, and a simple rule that makes it click. 🧩

📚 What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Use the -ing form after verbs like enjoy, finish, and don't mind
  • Use the to-infinitive after verbs like want, decide, and hope
  • Remember that it's the first verb that chooses the pattern
  • Talk about your hobbies, plans, and wishes using both patterns

⏱️ Estimated Time: 45–55 minutes

🎯 Project: Describe your hobbies and plans in 6+ sentences, using both verb + -ing and verb + to-infinitive — spoken to a partner or recorded on your phone.

In This Lesson

Two Verbs Together

Look at these two sentences: "I enjoy swimming." and "I want to swim." In both, there are two verbs in a row. The first verb (enjoy, want) is the main one. The second verb (swim) tells us the action. And that second verb has to change its shape — either -ing or to + verb.

Which shape? That depends on the first verb. Some verbs "like" -ing; others "like" to. The good news: there is a short, useful list, and you'll meet these verbs every day. 🌟

🧠 Mindset

You don't have to memorize a giant list all at once. Learn the most common ten or twelve verbs first — the ones you actually use. The rest come with time and reading. If the pattern feels slippery today, remember: "I can't always pick the right form… yet." 🌱

Verb + -ing

After these verbs, the second verb takes the -ing form:

  • enjoy
  • like
  • love
  • hate
  • don't mind
  • finish
  • keep
  • suggest

"I enjoy reading in the evening." · "She finished cooking ten minutes ago." · "He keeps forgetting his keys." · "I don't mind waiting." · "They suggested going to the beach."

💡 Remember the Spelling

To make the -ing form, you already know the rules from A1: read → reading, cook → cooking, but drop a silent e (make → making) and double a final consonant after a short vowel (swim → swimming, run → running). 🖊️

Verb + to-infinitive

After these verbs, the second verb takes to + base verb (the to-infinitive):

  • want
  • need
  • would like
  • decide
  • hope
  • plan
  • promise
  • learn
  • try

"I want to travel next year." · "We decided to stay home." · "She hopes to pass the exam." · "They plan to move in June." · "I'm learning to drive."

✅ would like always takes "to"

Be careful with would like. Even though like on its own can take -ing, would like always takes to: "I'd like to go home," never "I'd like going home." Think of would like as a polite way to say want — and want takes to. 🎯

The Two-Column List

Here are the common verbs side by side. Keep this table nearby until the patterns feel natural.

Verb + -ingVerb + to-infinitive
enjoy — I enjoy dancing.want — I want to dance.
don't mind — I don't mind cooking.need — I need to cook.
finish — She finished eating.would like — She'd like to eat.
keep — He keeps talking.decide — He decided to talk.
suggest — They suggested leaving.hope — They hope to leave.
like / love / hate — I love swimming.plan / promise / learn / try — I plan to swim.

💡 A Memory Hook

Many -ing verbs are about feelings and habits (enjoy, don't mind, keep). Many to verbs point forward to a goal (want, need, plan, hope, decide). It's not a perfect rule, but it helps you guess when you're not sure. 🧭

like, love, hate — and would like

The preference verbs like, love, and hate are relaxed — they accept either form, with almost no change in meaning:

"I love cooking." = "I love to cook." · "She hates waiting." = "She hates to wait."

So with these three, you can't really go wrong. But remember the one firm rule from before:

⚠️ Watch Out: would like

would like is different from like. It always takes to: "I'd like to go." ✅ · "I'd like going." ❌ Use like + -ing for things you enjoy in general ("I like swimming") and would like + to for something you want now or in the future ("I'd like to swim today").

It's the First Verb That Decides

Here is the single most useful idea in the whole lesson: look at the first verb. The first verb chooses the pattern; the second verb just follows.

graph LR
    F["First verb"] -->|enjoy / finish / keep| ING["second verb + -ing"]
    F -->|want / need / plan / hope| TO["to + second verb"]

💡 Two Steps, Every Time

  1. Find the first verb (want? enjoy? decide?).
  2. Ask: does it take -ing or to? Then change the second verb to match.

Example: "I decided ___ (stay)." → First verb is decide → takes to → "I decided to stay." ✅

⚠️ Watch Out: never two "to"s or a bare verb

Don't leave the second verb plain, and don't add to where it isn't needed. ✅ "I enjoy reading." · ❌ "I enjoy read." · ❌ "I enjoy to read." — and — ✅ "I want to read." · ❌ "I want reading."

Talking About Plans & Hobbies

Here is a small phrase bank to start conversations about what you like and what you plan:

I enjoy… I don't mind… I want to… I'd like to… I'm learning to… I've decided to…

Now let's hear two friends talk about their free time and plans:

A: What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

B: I love cooking, and I don't mind cleaning up afterwards! This year I want to learn to bake bread.

A: Nice! I've decided to take a photography course. I hope to get better at it.

B: That sounds great. Do you plan to travel and take photos?

A: Yes — I'd like to visit the mountains in spring. I keep saving a little money each month.

B: Good idea. I need to save too, but I always finish spending it! 😅

A: Ha! Let's promise to help each other stay on track.

✅ Spot the Patterns

Count them: enjoy doing, love cooking, don't mind cleaning, keep saving, finish spending (all -ing) and want to learn, decided to take, hope to get, plan to travel, need to save, promise to help (all to). This is how the two patterns live side by side in real speech. 🎉

🔊 Hear It & Repeat — Model Sentences

Listen to each model sentence, then say it back. Use the 🎧 Audio control (bottom-right) to pick a UK or US voice and make the speed slower. These sentences show both verb patterns — -ing and to-infinitive.

  • I enjoy watching movies on the weekend.
  • She wants to learn Spanish this year.
  • We don't mind waiting for you.
  • They decided to move to a new city.
  • I would like to visit my grandparents.

Practice & Project

🏋️ Exercise 1: -ing or to?

Objective: Write the verb in parentheses in the correct form — either the -ing form (like cooking) or to + verb (like to cook).

  1. I enjoy (read) before bed.
  2. She wants (travel) next summer.
  3. We've finished (paint) the kitchen.
  4. He hopes (pass) the test.
  5. I don't mind (wait) a few minutes.
✅ Answer

1. reading · 2. to travel · 3. painting · 4. to pass · 5. waiting

🏋️ Exercise 2: choose the pattern

Objective: Write only the missing word — -ing if the first verb takes the -ing form, or to if it takes the to-infinitive. (For gaps 1–3, write the ending: -ing. For gaps 4–5, write the word: to.)

  1. She suggested go to the park.
  2. He keeps ask the same question.
  3. I love cook for my family.
  4. They decided stay one more night.
  5. I'd like speak to the manager, please.
✅ Answer

1. -ing (suggested going) · 2. -ing (keeps asking) · 3. -ing (love cooking) · 4. to (decided to stay) · 5. to (I'd like to speak)

🎯 Your Project: My Hobbies & Plans

Speak out loud — to a partner, in class, or into your phone's recorder. Talk about what you enjoy doing and what you want to do.

  1. (3 min) Say three sentences about your hobbies using -ing verbs: "I enjoy…," "I love…," "I don't mind…"
  2. (3 min) Say three sentences about your plans and wishes using to verbs: "I want to…," "I'd like to…," "I've decided to…," "I hope to…"
  3. (1 min) Ask a partner (or imagine one): "What do you enjoy doing?" and "What do you want to do this year?"
  4. (1 min) If you recorded yourself, listen back. Did each second verb match its first verb?

✅ Project Completion Checklist

  • ☐ I said 3+ sentences with verb + -ing (enjoy, love, don't mind…)
  • ☐ I said 3+ sentences with verb + to (want, hope, decide…)
  • ☐ I used would like + to correctly at least once
  • ☐ I checked that the first verb chose the pattern each time
  • ☐ I asked and answered a "What do you enjoy doing?" question

🎯 Quick Quiz

Question 1: Choose the correct sentence.

Question 2: Which sentence is correct?

Tips & Common Mistakes

✅ Do's

  • Always look at the first verb — it chooses -ing or to.
  • Learn the common -ing verbs (enjoy, finish, keep, don't mind, suggest) as a group.
  • Learn the common to verbs (want, need, decide, hope, plan, learn, try) as a group.
  • Remember that would like always takes to, even though like can take either.

❌ Common Mistakes

⚠️ Watch Out

  • "I enjoy to read." ❌ → "I enjoy reading." ✅ (enjoy takes -ing).
  • "I want going home." ❌ → "I want to go home." ✅ (want takes to).
  • "I'd like going out." ❌ → "I'd like to go out." ✅ (would like always takes to).
  • "She finished to eat." ❌ → "She finished eating." ✅ (finish takes -ing).

📓 Learning Journal

Keep your learning journal going. After this lesson, take a few minutes to write down:

  • Key concepts you learned
  • Things that clicked for you
  • Questions or confusion points to revisit
  • Ideas you want to try
  • Your progress and feelings about joining verbs together

✍️ This lesson's prompt: Write two true sentences about things you enjoy, using enjoy / love / don't mind + -ing. Then write two true sentences about your plans, using want / hope / decide + to. Underline the first verb in each sentence.

📝 Lesson Summary

🎓 Key Takeaways

  • Some verbs are followed by -ing: enjoy, like, love, hate, don't mind, finish, keep, suggest.
  • Some verbs are followed by to + verb: want, need, would like, decide, hope, plan, promise, learn, try.
  • like, love, hate can take either form, with almost no change in meaning.
  • would like always takes to: "I'd like to go."
  • It's the first verb that decides — the second verb just follows the pattern.

🎉 What You've Accomplished

You've unlocked a pattern that appears in sentence after sentence in English. Now you can join two verbs correctly — "I enjoy cooking," "I want to learn," "I'd like to visit." This one skill makes your English smoother and more natural, whether you're talking about hobbies, plans, or dreams. 🎉

❓ Common Questions at This Stage

How do I know if a verb takes -ing or to?

For now, learn the common ones as two groups (the two-column list above). With more reading and listening, the right form will start to sound correct. If you're unsure, a good dictionary shows the pattern, and it's always fine to check.

Is "I like swimming" different from "I like to swim"?

With like, love, hate, the two forms mean almost the same thing. "I like swimming" often means "I enjoy it in general," and "I like to swim" can suggest a habit or choice — but at A2 you can treat them as the same. Just remember: would like only takes to.

What about the verb after a preposition, like "good at ___"?

Great question — after a preposition (at, in, of, about), we use the -ing form: "good at cooking," "interested in learning," "before leaving." That's a bonus pattern you'll see more of at B1.

🔭 Looking Ahead

This is the last teaching lesson of Module 8 — and of A2! Next comes your big review: Lesson 8.3, the A2 Capstone. You'll pull together everything from the whole level — past tenses, the present perfect, and the future — into one project: My Life Story & Future Plans. It's also a listening lesson, so get ready to hear English in action.

✅ Before the Next Lesson

  • Say three sentences with verb + -ing and three with verb + to.
  • Make one "I'd like to…" sentence and check it uses to.
  • Look at the two-column list once more and pick five verbs you'll use most.
  • Write your Learning Journal entry for this lesson.

🌟 Encouragement for the Journey

Little patterns like this one are the joints that hold your sentences together. Every time you say "I enjoy…" or "I want to…," you're building smoother, more confident English. You're almost at the end of A2 — one more lesson to go. See you at the Capstone! 👋