The difference between these 2 examples using El + Infinitive

Question

Hi,

These 2 examples were used in the same lesson and I don't understand why one has "el" in front of the infinitive and the other one doesn't. ?

Infinitive as a subject: El beber puede conducir a la intoxicación e incluso a la muerte. Drinking can lead to poisoning and even death.

Infinitive as a subject: Nadar es el mejor remedio para el dolor de espalda. Swimming is the best remedy for a backache.

Thanks for your help!

Great question. - katydew, Dec 27, 2012

Answer 1

Beber puede conducir a la intoxicación is also possible.

El beber / el fumar / el abusar de las drogas, etc. Here the article is added for emphasis, especially since the messages that follow the noun are warnings about health hazards. I personally do not use articles in cases like this: Beber, fumar, abusar de las drogas is how I would phrase it.

Nadar es el mejor remedio... It would be very redundant to say el nadar and el mejor remedio in the same sentence. However, you could very well say el nadar, el caminar, el correr son todas formas buenas de ejercicio. While grammatically correct, the article before these nouns sounds very archaic to me.

Thanks for this helpful explanation. - katydew, Dec 27, 2012

Makes sense. Seems "el" before an infinitive in cases like this is a matter of personal taste. - Anna, Dec 27, 2012

Answer 2

I'll take a shot at this.

Beber is the verb to drink. It could be water, juice, milk or booze/ In this sentence it is meant to specifically refer to booze so the el is used to distinguish it from mere drinking of anything.

Nadar on the other hand can only refer to swimming.

I am sure a native will come along and explain it better.

That's a good angle. I had not thought of that. - francobollo, Dec 27, 2012

Thanks. - gringojrf, Dec 27, 2012

Very helpful. - katydew, Dec 27, 2012

Answer 3

Well, it seems like it´s partly a matter of taste-style, and party a matter of emphasis.

So I´m wondering. I´ve read a lot of passages, always trying to find more examples in-context before I say anything new. In doing that, I´ve run across a lot of modern stuff ´here´ on the web, and a bunch of older stuff, sometimes much older, that I´ve picked up from reading very old, cheap books. It seems like the article before the infinitive is much more common in older books, and at least somewhat less common in things I read on the web. Is that a false observation (maybe just what I´ve happened to run across) or just a matter of books being more formal than the web (which tends to be more casual, and like spoken stuff) Or if this trend really does exist and isn´t just in my head, is it truly a matter of old vs modern. Just trying to see if I´ve really seen this, or if it´s jsut in my head.

HaHa. I *DO* have those voices. And life would be easier if they´d at least have the decency to all speak in the same language :) - rogspax, Dec 27, 2012

It's the voices in your head telling you to use the article, rogspax... lol (just kiddin') - francobollo, Dec 27, 2012

So, do you see a difference in article use in more modern vs older Spanish? - rogspax, Dec 27, 2012

Answer 4

Se puede decir de ambas maneras El beber.....= beber........ sin embargo EL : se usa para dar mayor enfasis (for emphasis)

Answer 5

Good question. I found the answer in the grammar section "verbs" "Other uses of the Infinitive" Basically using the article in front of the infinite makes it more informal. This usage is optional.

Thank you, I like the concise and easy answer! - Anna, Dec 27, 2012