What you'll learn
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to use the infinitive after the verbs that demand it.
When do I use it?
These verbs are followed by to + base verb:
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decide, promise, offer, refuse, manage, fail, seem, pretend, agree, learn, plan, afford, hope, want, need
-
"She promised to call." "He managed to finish on time." "I can't afford to buy a car."
Some take an object too: "They allowed us to stay." "She taught me to swim." "He asked me to help."
How do I form it?
verb + to + verb verb + object + to + verb
- We decided to move to a bigger flat.
- He refused to apologise.
- They agreed to meet at six.
- The teacher allowed us to leave early.
- I learned to drive when I was 18.
Common mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish uses "prometió llamar", "decidí ir" — same infinitive, so these are easy, but two errors creep in. First, "allowed us to stay" is correct but "made us to stay" is NOT: "make" takes the bare infinitive ("made us stay"), and "let" too ("let me go"). Second, "managed doing" is wrong: manage takes "to" ("managed to do"), even though Spanish "lograr hacer" uses an infinitive too — keep the "to".
decide, promise, offer, refuse, manage, fail, seem, pretend + to + verb. Remember: make/let + object + base verb (no to).
Practice
Multiple Choice
B1Which sentence is correct?
Fill in the Blank
B1I managed open the jar after a few tries.
Hint: manage + to + verb.
Find the Error
B1Multiple Choice
B1Which verb takes object + infinitive?
Practice Speaking
Apply what you've learned in a real conversation with AI feedback.
Level: B1