September 12, 2013, 03:33 PM
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Emerald
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: England.
Posts: 524
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty
Of course. The infinitive, when used as a noun, is translated 'verb+ing' into English.
I have the intention of writing more tomorrow.
I have the opportunity of writing more.
You may also substitute 'to write' in the sentences above, where I wrote 'of writing', but that is where the confusion comes from.
When you use 'to write' in English, you're using a full infinitive, not a verb. 'Writing', a gerund (which is a noun that looks like a verb with an 'ing' ending), can usually be substituted for the full infinitive.
So, "I like reading" and "I like to read" are equivalent sentences. They mean the same thing. In Spanish, the infinitive "leer" would be used in both cases.
Me gusta leer.
We are quite used to saying "Reading is fundamental," but not "To read is fundamental," yet both mean the same thing. In Spanish, the infinitive is used in both cases.
Leer es fundamental.
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Thank you for the reply.
I understand.
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