Introduction

In English, some verbs naturally “pull” another verb after them. Very often, that second verb appears in the infinitive form: to + base verb. This unit helps you recognise the most common verb patterns with infinitives and use them confidently in everyday situations: planning, choosing, promising, refusing, and explaining what you need or hope to do.

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit, you will be able to: identify verbs that are followed by an infinitive; form correct affirmative, negative, and question structures; use common verb + infinitive patterns in realistic contexts (plans, decisions, intentions, and obligations).

1) The core pattern: verb + to-infinitive

The most common structure is:

Subject + verb + to + base verb

Examples:

I want to learn English faster.
She decided to change jobs.
We need to leave early.

Important concept
The word to here is part of the infinitive, not a preposition. Think of it as a grammar signal that another verb is coming.

2) Common B1 verbs followed by infinitives

These verbs are very frequent at B1 and are typically followed by to + infinitive:

want to, need to, hope to, plan to, decide to, choose to, agree to, promise to, refuse to, offer to, learn to, try to, manage to, forget to, remember to

Examples in context:

He offered to help me with the report.
They agreed to meet at 6 p.m.
I managed to finish on time, even though it was difficult.
Please remember to lock the door.

3) Negative forms

To make the structure negative, put not after the first verb (the main verb), not before the infinitive.

Subject + do/does/did not + verb + to + base verb

Examples:

I don’t want to argue.
She doesn’t need to explain.
We didn’t decide to cancel the trip.

Warning
Avoid: “I don’t want to not go.” In most everyday situations, English prefers: “I don’t want to go.” Use “to not” only when the meaning requires it very clearly.

4) Questions

Questions follow the normal auxiliary pattern (do/does/did) with the main verb, and the infinitive stays the same.

Do/Does/Did + subject + verb + to + base verb?

Examples:

Do you want to join us?
Does he need to leave now?
Did they decide to move?

5) Two useful meanings: intention vs obligation

Verb + infinitive patterns are often used to express:

Intention / plan: want to, hope to, plan to, decide to
I plan to visit my grandparents this weekend.

Obligation / necessity: need to, have to (also common), remember to
You need to bring your ID.

Notice how the infinitive helps the sentence move forward: it tells the next action clearly, which is why this pattern is so important in speaking and writing.

Practice

Practice section
Complete each sentence with the correct verb pattern (use the infinitive with to). Answers are provided.