'El' with verbs?
Hey guys
In some grammar books, I have seen sentences like this: El vivir en Madrid es muy agradable and El beber puede conducir a la intoxicación e incluso a la muerte. Could anyone tell me why is the masculine definite article before the infinitive? Obviously verbs are not gendered. |
Welcome to the forums!
What you're calling a verb is actually an infinitive. An infinitive acts as a noun. As such, a masculine article may precede it. The translation of the Spanish construct into English also employs a noun, one that also happens to look like a verb. This noun is called a gerund in English. The equivalent of the English gerund is the Spanish infinitive. Both function as nouns. Living in Madrid is very nice. Drinking can lead to poisoning, even death. |
Rusty's answer is spot on.
Antonio Machado had some verses that read, Entre el vivir y el soñar hay una tercera cosa, adivínala. [Between living and dreaming, there is a third thing, you need to guess what.] [or "divine which one"] Welcome to the forums! |
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