Verb + -ing or to… 3 | Unit 58 | PrepMyEnglish
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Accueil› English Grammar› Unit 58 — like / would like
Unit 58 · Grammar Lesson
Unité 58 · Leçon de Grammaire

Verb + -ing or to… 3
like / love / hate / would like — Complete Guide Verbe + -ing ou to… 3
like / love / hate / would like — Guide Complet

Master when like / love / hate take -ing or to…, why would like always takes to…, and how to express past regrets with would like to have done.

Maîtrisez quand like / love / hate prennent -ing ou to…, pourquoi would like prend toujours to…, et comment exprimer des regrets passés avec would like to have done.

B1 – B2 3 Rules · 4 Exercises · 200-Q Quiz · PDF 3 Règles · 4 Exercices · Quiz 200 Q · PDF 🇬🇧 EN / 🇫🇷 FR

Unit 58 focuses on like, love, hate (which can take either -ing or to…, with some important exceptions), would like / would love / would prefer (which always take to…), and the past regret structure would like to have done.

L’unité 58 se concentre sur like, love, hate (-ing ou to…), would like / would love / would prefer (toujours to…), et la structure du regret passé would like to have done.

A

like / love / hate

like / love / hate

For repeated actions / general preferences, both -ing and to… are possible:

Pour des actions répétées / préférences générales, -ing et to… sont tous les deux possibles :

Do you like getting up early? — or — Do you like to get up early?
Stephanie hates flying. — or — Stephanie hates to fly.

Use -ing only when the situation already exists:

Utilisez uniquement -ing quand la situation existe déjà :

Paul lives in Berlin. He likes living there. ✓
→ existing situation — use -ing, not “to live” → situation existante — utilisez -ing, pas “to live”

Do you like being a student? ✓ (you currently are one)

I like doing (= I enjoy it)

I like doing (= j’aime ça)

I like cleaning the kitchen. (= I enjoy it)

I like to do (= I choose to)

I like to do (= je choisis de)

I like to clean it regularly. (= deliberate habit)
💡
enjoy and mind are ALWAYS -ing: “I enjoy travelling” ✓ — NEVER “I enjoy to travel” ✗ et mind sont TOUJOURS -ing : “I enjoy travelling” ✓ — JAMAIS “I enjoy to travel” ✗
B

would like / would love / would hate / would prefer

would like / would love / would hate / would prefer

Always followed by to… (NOT -ing):

Toujours suivi de to… (PAS -ing) :

I’d like to go away for a few days.
I’d love to meet your family.
Would you prefer to eat now or later?
Would you mind closing the door? (mind → -ing)
⚠️
“I’d like going to the park” is WRONG. “I’d like going to the park” est FAUX. would like → always to + infinitive. “I’d like to go.” ✓ would like → toujours to + infinitif. “I’d like to go.” ✓
C

I would like to have done — past regret

I would like to have done — regret passé

Formula:Formule : would + like/love/hate/prefer + to have + past participle

I would like to have seen her again. (= I regret I didn’t)
I’d love to have gone to the party. (= I regret I couldn’t go)
I would hate to have been in his position.

Present / future wish

Souhait présent / futur

I’d like to visit Rome one day.
→ would like + to + infinitive

Past regret

Regret passé

I’d like to have visited Rome last year.
→ would like + to have + past participle

Unit 58 — Exercises with AnswersUnité 58 — Exercices avec Corrigé

4 exercises — check your answers instantly

4 exercices — vérification instantanée

EX 1

Exercise 1 — like / love / hate: -ing or to…?

Exercice 1 — like / love / hate : -ing ou to… ?

Use -ing when the situation already exists.

Utilisez -ing quand la situation existe déjà.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answers: 1. living (existing situation)  ·  2. teaching biology / to teach biology  ·  3. working there (existing situation)  ·  4. being famous / to be famous  ·  5. studying medicine / to study medicine  ·  6. taking risks / to take risks
EX 2

Exercise 2 — Complete with -ing or to…

Exercice 2 — Complétez avec -ing ou to…

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Answers: 1. travelling  ·  2. to sit  ·  3. turning  ·  4. to come  ·  5. to wait  ·  6. losing / to lose
EX 3

Exercise 3 — would like to have done. Express a past regret.

Exercice 3 — would like to have done. Exprimez un regret passé.

1.
2.
3.
4.
Answers: 1. I would like to have gone to the party.  ·  2. I would hate to have lost my watch.  ·  3. I would love to have met your parents.  ·  4. I wouldn’t like to have been alone.
EX 4

Exercise 4 — Mixed: all rules

Exercice 4 — Mixte : toutes les règles

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Answers: 1. to clean  ·  2. smiling  ·  3. to speak  ·  4. waiting  ·  5. to have visited

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Fréquentes

Why does “He likes living there” need -ing, not “to live”?Pourquoi “He likes living there” exige -ing ?

When the situation already exists, use -ing. He lives there now — so “likes living there” describes that current reality. “I like to live in big cities” (general preference) works, but “He likes to live there” for a specific existing situation sounds unnatural.

Quand la situation existe déjà, on utilise -ing. “He likes living there” car il y vit déjà.

Is “I enjoy to travel” ever correct?“I enjoy to travel” est-il correct ?

No, never. enjoy and mind always take -ing. “I enjoy travelling.” ✓ “I don’t mind waiting.” ✓

Non. enjoy et mind prennent toujours -ing.

Can I say “I’d like going to the park”?Peut-on dire “I’d like going to the park” ?

No. would like is always followed by to + infinitive: “I’d like to go to the park.” ✓ Compare: “I like going” (general) vs “I’d like to go” (specific).

Non. would like est toujours suivi de to + infinitif.

What’s the difference between “I’d like to visit Rome” and “I’d like to have visited Rome”?Quelle différence entre “I’d like to visit” et “I’d like to have visited” ?

I’d like to visit Rome = future wish. I’d like to have visited Rome = past regret (I didn’t visit it and I regret that now).

I’d like to visit = souhait futur. I’d like to have visited = regret passé.

🎯 Unit 58 · MCQ QuizUnité 58 · Quiz QCM

like / would like — Quiz

like / would like — Quiz

200-question bank · 10–200 questions per session · instant feedback

Banque de 200 questions · 10 à 200 questions · correction immédiate

200 QuestionsB1 · B2PDF ✓

⚙️ Quiz SettingsParamètres

like / would like Quiz

Quiz — like / would like

20 questions

—
out ofsur 20 questionsquestions
—
Correct
Correctes
—
Wrong
Incorrectes
—
Skipped
Non répondues

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