Verb + to…
decide to / forget to / manage to / seem to have… — Complete Guide
Verbe + to…
decide to / forget to / manage to / seem to have… — Guide Complet
Master verbs followed by the to-infinitive — including dare, seem/appear/pretend/claim, perfect & continuous infinitives, and question word + to… structures.
Maîtrisez les verbes suivis de l’infinitif en to — y compris dare, seem/appear/pretend/claim, les infinitifs parfait et continu, et les structures mot interrogatif + to…
Many English verbs are followed by the to-infinitive (to do, to go, to be…). This unit covers the key list of verbs, the special behaviour of dare, how seem/appear/pretend/claim combine with perfect and continuous infinitives, and how to use what/how/where + to… after verbs like know and decide.
De nombreux verbes anglais sont suivis de l’infinitif en to (to do, to go, to be…). Cette unité couvre la liste des verbes clés, le comportement particulier de dare, la façon dont seem/appear/pretend/claim se combinent avec les infinitifs parfait et continu, et l’utilisation de what/how/where + to…
Verbs followed by to-infinitive
Verbes suivis de l’infinitif en to
After these verbs, use to + base verb (to-infinitive):
Après ces verbes, utilisez to + base verbale (infinitif en to) :
Simon was in difficulty, so I agreed to help him.
I waved to Karen, but failed to attract her attention.
How old were you when you learnt to drive?
I like Dan, but he tends to talk too much. It was a long way, so we decided to take a taxi. (PAS decided taking)
Simon was in difficulty, so I agreed to help him.
I waved to Karen, but failed to attract her attention.
How old were you when you learnt to drive?
I like Dan, but he tends to talk too much.
The negative form is not to…:
La forme négative est not to… :
I promised not to be late. We decided not to go out because of the weather.
I promised not to be late.
dare — with or without to
dare — avec ou sans to
dare (positive / negative) — both forms OK
dare (positif / négatif) — les deux formes correctes
daren't / dare not — NEVER use to
daren't / dare not — JAMAIS de to
seem / appear / pretend / claim + to… — Perfect & Continuous Infinitives
seem / appear / pretend / claim + to… — Infinitifs Parfait et Continu
The verbs seem, appear, pretend and claim are followed by to…. You can use:
Les verbes seem, appear, pretend et claim sont suivis de to…. On peut utiliser :
They seem to have plenty of money.
Ann pretended not to see me when she passed.
They seem to have plenty of money.
Ann pretended not to see me when she passed.
to be + -ing (continuous infinitive) = was/were -ing:to be + -ing (infinitif continu) = était en train de :
I pretended to be reading the newspaper. (= I pretended that I WAS reading)
I pretended to be reading the newspaper. (= je faisais semblant d’être en train de lire)
to have + past participle (perfect infinitive) = has/have/had done:to have + participe passé (infinitif parfait) :
Have you seen my keys? I seem to have lost them. (= it seems that I HAVE LOST them)
She claimed not to have seen me. Have you seen my keys? I seem to have lost them. (= il semble que je les aie perdus)
She claimed not to have seen me.
Question word + to… (what to do / how to use / where to go)
Mot interrogatif + to… (what to do / how to use / where to go)
After the verbs below, use a question word (what, how, where, whether…) + to-infinitive:
Après les verbes ci-dessous, utilisez un mot interrogatif (what, how, where, whether…) + infinitif en to :
Have you decided where to go on holiday?
I don’t know whether to apply for the job or not.
Do you understand what to do?
Also with show / tell / ask / advise / teach somebody:
Can somebody show me how to use this camera?
Ask Jack. He’ll tell you what to do. We asked how to get to the station.
Have you decided where to go on holiday?
I don’t know whether to apply for the job or not.
Do you understand what to do?
Aussi avec show / tell / ask / advise / teach somebody :
Can somebody show me how to use this camera?
Ask Jack. He’ll tell you what to do.
Put the verb into the correct form: to… or -ing.
Mettez le verbe à la forme correcte : to… ou -ing.
Complete the sentences using a suitable verb in the to-infinitive form.
Complétez les phrases avec un verbe convenable à l’infinitif en to.
Make a new sentence using the verb in brackets. Use the perfect or continuous infinitive where needed.
Reformulez en utilisant le verbe entre parenthèses. Utilisez l’infinitif parfait ou continu si nécessaire.
Complete using a question word (what / how / where / whether) + to-infinitive.
Complétez avec un mot interrogatif (what / how / where / whether) + infinitif en to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions Fréquentes
There is no single logical rule — the pattern must be learned with each verb. Key verbs with to…: decide, promise, agree, refuse, manage, fail, hope, afford, tend, deserve… Key verbs with -ing: enjoy, suggest, avoid, finish, keep, mind, risk, consider, imagine, fancy…
Il n’y a pas de règle logique unique — il faut apprendre le schéma avec chaque verbe. Verbes clés avec to… : decide, promise, agree, refuse, manage, fail, hope, afford, tend, deserve… Verbes clés avec -ing : enjoy, suggest, avoid, finish, keep, mind, risk, consider, imagine, fancy…
The simple infinitive (seem to do) refers to the present/general: I seem to lose things all the time. The perfect infinitive (seem to have done) refers to something that happened before: I seem to have lost my keys = it appears I lost them at some earlier point.
L’infinitif simple (seem to do) se réfère au présent/général. L’infinitif parfait (seem to have done) se réfère à quelque chose qui s’est passé avant.
When dare is used as a modal verb (daren’t, dare not), it follows the same rule as all modals — no to. Only when dare is a regular verb with an auxiliary (I didn’t dare…) is to optional.
Quand dare est utilisé comme verbe modal (daren’t, dare not), il suit la même règle que tous les modaux — pas de to.
No. Only whether to… is correct in this structure. If to does not exist in standard English. ✓ I don’t know whether to go. ✗ I don’t know if to go.
Non. Seul whether to… est correct dans cette structure. If to n’existe pas en anglais standard.
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