Infinitives in Spanish
Overview
Quick Answer
The infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. Verbs in the infinitive form
indicate what an action is, but do not indicate anything about who is doing the
action or at what point in time the action is taking place.
In English, infinitive verbs are preceded by the word to, as in to speak, to read, or to write. In
Spanish, infinitives consist of only one word and are separated into three different conjugation sets
according to their endings, -ar, -er, and -ir, as in hablar , leer , and escribir .
Verb Stems
Most verb tenses use a form of the infinitive as the stem for their conjugations. In general, for regular
verbs, you simply need to remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, and -ir) to find the stem, and then
you can the add specific endings needed to give tense information.
-ar Verbs
Verbs that end in-ar are more common than -er, and -ir verbs, and there are fewer irregular -ar verbs
than -er or -ir verbs. Here are some examples of common -ar infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive
buscar
cantar
comprar
escuchar
extrañar
hablar
Definition
Stem
to look for
busc-
to sing
cant-
to buy
compr-
to listen to
escuch-
to miss/to yearn for
extrañ-
to speak
habl-
llamar
llenar
llevar
mirar
visitar
to call
llam-
to fill
llen-
to carry
llev-
to watch
mir-
to visit
visit-
-er Verbs
Verbs that end in -er are the second-largest group of infinitives in Spanish. Here are some examples
of common -er infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive
beber
comer
comprender
correr
creer
deber
leer
Definition
Stem
to drink
beb-
to eat
com-
to understand
comprend-
to run
corr-
to believe
cre-
to owe
deb-
to read
le-
meter
romper
vender
to put into
met-
to break
romp-
to sell
vend-
-ir Verbs
Verbs that end in -ir are the smallest group of Spanish infinitives. Here are some examples of
common -ir infinitives and their stems.
Infinitive
abrir
asistir
cubrir
escribir
incluir
pedir
permitir
recibir
servir
Definition
Stem
to open
abr-
to attend
asist-
to cover
cubr-
to write
escrib-
to include
inclu-
to order
ped-
to allow
permit-
to receive
recib-
to serve
serv-
vivir
to live
viv-
Infinitives as Nouns
In Spanish, when a verb functions as a noun, the infinitive is used, and it is always singular and
masculine. It can be used as the subject of a sentence or the object of another verb or preposition.
When the infinitive is used as a noun, you don't usually use an article (such as el or un) with it,
though it's acceptable to use the article el in front of an infinitive that is the subject of a sentence.
Bailar tango es difícil.
Dancing the tango is hard.
Está prohibido sacar fotos aquí.
Taking pictures is prohibited here.
Pienso salir con él.
I am thinking about going out with him.
Lo hice sin pensar.
I did it without thinking.
El nadar es buen ejercicio.
Swimming is good exercise.
English Translations of Spanish
Infinitives
Spanish infinitives can often be translated into English as infinitives (like to do)
or gerunds (like doing).
Me gusta nadar.
I like to swim./I like swimming.
Hablar español es divertido.
Speaking Spanish is fun./It is fun to speak Spanish.
Infinitive Commands
To form an infinitive command, simply use the word no followed by an infinitive. You don't need to
conjugate anything!
No fumar.
No smoking.
Batir los huevos.
Beat the eggs.
Verbs Used with Infinitives
Here are some verbs and verb phrases commonly used before another verb in the infinitive.
aceptar
acordar
afirmar
amenazar
anhelar
asegurar
to accept
to agree
to say/state
to threaten
to long for
to assure
buscar
creer
deber
decidir
demostrar
desear
enseñar a
esperar
fingir
gustar
intentar
ir a
lamentar
lograr
negar
to look for
to believe
to have to, should
to decide
to show
to desire/want
to teach
to hope for
to pretend
to like
to try
to go
to regret
to succeed in
to deny
pensar en
poder
preferir
prometer
querer
reconocer
recordar
seguir
sentir
soler
temer
tener que
tratar de
to think about/of
to be able to
to prefer
to promise
to want
to acknowledge
to remember
to follow/to continue
to feel
to be used to
to fear
to have
to try
Vamos a bailar.
We are going to dance.
Tienes que sacar la basura.
You have to take out the trash.
Quiero salir para la fiesta.
I want to leave for the party.
Me gusta dibujar.
I like to draw.