1.33 Verbs followed by the infinitive or the –ing form

Some verbs can be followed by the infinitive or the –ing form with little difference in meaning. These include: begin, continue, hate, intend, like, love, prefer, start, e.g.:

They began talking/to talk.
(Comenzaron a hablar.)

Do you like dancing/to dance?
(¿Te gusta bailar?)

Notice that would like and would prefer take the infinitive only, e.g.:

A: Would you like to go to the theatre? (¿Te gustaría ir al teatro?)

B: No, I'd prefer to stay at home. (No, preferiría quedareme en casa.)

Some verbs can be followed by the infinitive or the –ing form with different meanings: come, forget, go on, mean, regret, remember, try. Compare, e.g.:

The car came screaming round the corner.
(El coche giró la esquina chirriando.)

In the end we came to understand that protest was useless.
(Al final llegamos a entender que protestar era inútil.)

Don't forget to phone the bank.
(No olvides llamar al banco.)

I will never forget meeting Nicole.
(No olvidaré nunca cuando conocí a Nicole.)

I remembered to pick up the key.
(Me acordé de llevarme la llave.)

I remember picking up the key.
(Tengo presente que me llevé la llave.)

First she talked about the history of the project. Then she went on to talk about the current situation.
(En primer lugar, habló de la historia del proyecto. A continuación explicó la situación actual.)

They went on playing in spite of the heavy rain.
(Continuaban jugando pese a la fuerte lluvia.)

We have to finish everything today. This means having a quick lunch.
(Eso significa comer rápido.)

I'm sorry you didn't know. I meant to send you a message.
(Tenía la intención de enviarte un mensaje.)

We regret to advise you that we cannot accept dollars.
(Lamentamos deciros que no podemos aceptar dólares.)

She now regrets telling her mother that she's pregnant.
(Ahora se arrepiente de haberle dicho a su madre que está embarazada.)

They tried to open the door.
(Intentaron abrir la puerta.)

They tried opening the door.
(Probaron a abrir la puerta.)