what is an infinitive??
like saber + infinitive= to know how to do something
what does the infinitive mean? i'm confused same with pensar + infinitive= to plan to so something.
Can u help me out and give examples..
íMuchas gracias!
3 Answers
An infinitive is the basic form of a verb and means "to _________".
To eat - the infinitve for that is 'comer'.
Your examples:
like saber + infinitive= to know how to do something
what does the infinitive mean? i'm confused same with pensar + infinitive= to plan to so something.
The 2 examples above are forms of perífrases verbales. When you put certain verbs + infinitives, it changes the meanings of the verbal phrase.
The infinitive is the basic form of the verb. In Spanish the infinitives end in -ar, -er, and -ir. In English infinitives are formed by adding the word "to" to the basic form of the verb.
saber means "to know (how)". So in the sentence Sabe concinar He (or She) knows how to cook, the present tense form of the verb sabe is followed by the infinitive form cocinar.
There are many times in Spanish and English when a verb is followed by an infinitive forming as katydew explained a perífrase verbal. Some examples are "going to go", "wanting to see", "thinking of writing (planning to write)".
I hope this helps understand your exercise.
Please try to write "you" instead of "u" on this forum as we are a language site not a text receiver. Thanks.
Here are 2 links that might be helpful to you. This is an important subject since all the verb forms are built on the infinitive forms of the verbs. You are asking the right questions.
Follow this link to find something you can get anytime on SD under the Learn tab on the blue toolbar above. Go to Learn -> Grammar -> Verbs -> Infinitives (there are at least 2):
Follow this link to find a recent game about perífrases verbales. If you keep clicking the links from the week before you'll have examples of at least 8 of them and some helpful explanation links:
perífrases verbales practice exercises wtih links to older practice exercises
