Cuando se intenta combinar dos verbos no auxiliares (algo similar a la conjugación perifrástica española), tiene cierta dificultad elegir entre las formas VERBOINFINITIVO y VERBOING.
| VERBOINFINITIVO |
| to + VERBOINFINITIVO |
| VERBOING (GERUNDIO) |
| VERBOING (PARTICIPIO PRESENTE) |
La dificultad se acrecienta ya que puede producirse un uso exclusivo (sólo es posible una de las formas) o un uso alternativo (son posibles más de una forma y, en este caso con o sin cambio de significado o matiz).
En una gran parte de los casos no es posible formular reglas precisas de uso por lo que hay que descender al caso individual. Aún así, pueden detectarse algunos comportamientos frecuentes:
Los casos de duda se plantean con las combinaciones producidas en la secuencia:
| VERBONO AUXILIAR | + |
|
+ |
|
Como puede observarse son posibles seis tipos de combinaciones ya que el primer verbo puede ir seguido o no por un objeto y, a continuación, la forma del segundo verbo (VERBOINFINITIVO, to + VERBOINFINITIVO o VERBOING).
No obstante, hay que tener en cuenta que la combinación con VERBOINFINITIVO se utiliza en un limitado número de casos.
Cuando las formas VERBOINFINITIVO y VERBOING pueden ser usadas de manera alternativa, la elección se realiza en base al sentido o matiz que, de manera aproximada, figura en el siguiente cuadro:
| GERUNDIO | INFINITIVO |
| sentido genérico | sentido concreto |
| acción inacabada o incompleta | acción acabada o completa |
| acción actual | acción en potencia |
En algunos casos no hay ninguna diferencia de significado entre el gerundio y el infinitivo.
Seguidamente se aporta una tabla (no exhaustiva) de uso de verbos que pueden ir seguidos de:
Para adentrarse en el uso de los verbos compuestos (no auxiliares) es imprescindible el uso de un diccionario con cierto nivel.
| VERBO 1 | ( Ø / objeto ) + ( Ø / to ) + ( VERBO2INF/ VERBO2ING) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to admit, admitir | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to advise, aconsejar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to affect, afectar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to afford, permitirse | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to agree, acordar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to allow, permitir | *** | *** | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to announce, anunciar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to ask, pedir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to assume, suponer | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to attempt, intentar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to authorize, autorizar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to avoid, evitar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to beg, rogar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to begin, comenzar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to believe, creer | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to bother, preocupar | *** | *** | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to busy, ponerse | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| can/could (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| can't bear, no poder aguantar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| can't help, no poder ayudar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| can't resist, no poder resistir | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| can't stand, no soportar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to catch, coger, tomar | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to cause, causar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to cease, dejar de, cesar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to choose, elegir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to claim, reclamar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to come, venir | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to command, ordenar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to commence, comenzar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to compel, obligar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to condemn, condenar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to consider, considerar | *** | *** | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to constrain, obligar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to continue, continuar, seguir | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to dare, desafiar, atreverse | inf | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to dare (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to declare, declarar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to decline, decaer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to defy, desobedecer | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to delay, retrasar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to demand, requerir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to deny, negar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to detest, detestar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to discover, descubrir | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to disdain, desdeñar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to dislike, no gustar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to do (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to do | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to dread, temer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to drive, llevar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to elect, elegir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to enable, permitir | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to encourage, animar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to endure, aguantar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to enjoy, disfrutar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to escape, escapar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to expect, esperar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to fail, no conseguir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to fancy, imaginarse | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to feel, sentir | inf | *** | *** | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to find, encontrar | *** | *** | *** | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to finish, acabar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to forbid, prohibir | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to force, forzar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to forget, olvidar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to get, conseguir | *** | *** | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to go, ir | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to hate, odiar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to have, tener | *** | to + inf | *** | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to hear, oir | inf | *** | *** | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to help, ayudar | inf | to + inf | ing | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to hope, esperar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to imagine, imaginar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to induce, persuadir | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to inspire , inspirar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to instruct, ordenar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to intend, tener intención | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to invite, invitar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to involve, suponer | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to keep, conservar | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to know, saber, conocer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to learn, aprender | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to leave, irse | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to let, dejar, permitir | inf | *** | *** | obj + inf | *** | *** |
| to like, gustar, preferir | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to love, querer | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to make, hacer | inf | to + inf | *** | obj + inf | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to manage, poder, lograr | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| may/might (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to mean, significar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to mind, cuidar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to miss, perder | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| must (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to need (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to need, necesitar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to neglect, descuidar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to notice,darse cuenta | *** | *** | *** | obj + inf | *** | obj + ing |
| to oblige, obligar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to offer, ofrecer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to omit, omitir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to order, ordenar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to permit, permitir | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to persuade, convencer | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to plan, planear | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to practise, practicar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to prefer, preferir | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to presume, suponer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to profess, expresar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to promise, prometer | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to pronounce,pronunciar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to propose, proponer | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to purpose, intentar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to quit, abandonar, dejar de | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to recall, retirar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to refuse, rechazar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to regret, arrepentirse | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to remember, recordar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to report, informar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to require, exigir, requerir | *** | *** | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to resent, molestar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to resume, reanudar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to risk, arriesgar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to save, guardar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to see, ver | inf | *** | *** | obj + inf | *** | obj + ing |
| to send, enviar | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to set, colocar | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| shall/should (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to sit, sentarse | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to spy, vigilar | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to stand, estar (de pie) | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to start, empezar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to stop, parar | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | obj + ing |
| to study, estudiar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | *** | *** |
| to suggest, sugerir | *** | *** | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to suppose, suponer | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to take, to mar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to teach, enseñar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to tell, decir | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to trouble, preocupar | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to try, intentar, probar | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | *** | *** |
| to vote, votar | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to want, querer | *** | to + inf | ing | *** | obj + to + inf | obj + ing |
| to warn, advertir | *** | *** | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| to watch, mirar | *** | *** | *** | obj + inf | *** | obj + ing |
| to wish, desear | *** | to + inf | *** | *** | obj + to + inf | *** |
| will/would (aux.) | inf | *** | *** | *** | *** | *** |