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Intermediate

Finite vs Non-Finite Verbs

How Spanish, English and Chinese distinguish verbs that carry tense from those that do not.

Compare languages

Finite verbs carry tense and agree with a subject. Non-finite verbs (infinitives, participles, gerunds) do not. Spanish and English make this distinction clearly. Chinese does not grammatically distinguish finite from non-finite verbs.

Overview

Finite verbs carry tense, mood, and agreement with a subject. Non-finite verbs (infinitives, participles, gerunds) do not.

Spanish: Clear distinction. Finite verbs conjugate for person, number, tense, and mood. Non-finite forms are the infinitive, gerund (-ndo), and past participle. Infinitives often replace subjunctive clauses when subjects are shared.
English: Clear distinction. Finite verbs agree in the 3rd person singular present. Non-finite forms are the to-infinitive, bare infinitive, present participle/gerund (-ing), and past participle (-ed/-en).
Chinese: No formal distinction. Verbs are invariant. Aspect markers (了le, 着zháo, 过guò) apply to verbs regardless of their syntactic position. The concept of finiteness is not grammatically relevant.

Spanish

Finite verb forms

Finite verbs carry person, number, tense, and mood:

Yo hablo. (I speak. — 1st person, singular, present, indicative)
Él vendrá. (He will come. — 3rd person, singular, future, indicative)
Si tuviera tiempo… (If I had time… — subjunctive)
Ven aquí. (Come here. — imperative)

Non-finite forms

Form	Ending	Example	Use
Infinitive	-ar/-er/-ir	hablar, comer, vivir	noun, complement
Gerund	-ando/-iendo	hablando, comiendo	progressive, adverbial
Past participle	-ado/-ido	hablado, comido	compound tenses, passive

Infinitive as subject

Hablar es fácil. (Speaking is easy.)
Mentir no está bien. (Lying is not right.)

Infinitive as complement (same subject)

Quiero ir. (I want to go.)
Puedo ayudarte. (I can help you.)
Espero llegar pronto. (I hope to arrive soon.)

Note: When subjects differ, Spanish uses subjunctive:

Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come. — different subject)

Infinitive after prepositions

antes de comer (before eating)
sin decir nada (without saying anything)
para estudiar (in order to study)
al llegar (upon arriving)

Gerund (-ndo)

Progressive:

Estoy leyendo. (I am reading.)
Estaba durmiendo. (I was sleeping.)

Adverbial (simultaneity, manner, cause):

Estando en Madrid, la vi. (Being in Madrid, I saw her.)
Corriendo, llegó a tiempo. (Running, he arrived on time.)

Past participle

Compound tenses:

He hablado. (I have spoken.)
Había comido. (I had eaten.)

Passive:

Fue visto por todos. (He was seen by everyone.)

Adjectival:

la puerta cerrada (the closed door)
un hombre cansado (a tired man)

Non-finite forms with auxiliary verbs

Tengo que ir. (I have to go.)
Voy a comer. (I’m going to eat.)
Acabo de llegar. (I just arrived.)
Estoy por salir. (I’m about to leave.)

English

Finite verb forms

Finite verbs agree in the 3rd person singular present:

I speak. / He speaks.
She went. / They went.
If I were rich… (subjunctive)
Come here! (imperative — finite but unmarked)

Non-finite forms

Form	Example	Use
To-infinitive	to speak, to eat	complement, purpose
Bare infinitive	speak, eat	after modals, causatives, perception
Present participle/gerund	speaking, eating	progressive, gerund, modifier
Past participle	spoken, eaten	perfect, passive, modifier

To-infinitive

As subject:

To err is human.
To speak clearly is important.

As complement:

I want to go.
She hopes to win.
He decided to stay.

For purpose:

I came to help.
This tool is used to cut wood.

After adjectives:

I am happy to see you.
It is important to study.

Bare infinitive

After modals:

I can go. / She must leave.

After causatives:

I made him go. (NOT to go)
Let me help.
Have them call me.

After perception verbs:

I saw him leave. (NOT to leave)
I heard her sing.

Present participle / gerund (-ing)

Progressive (finite auxiliary + non-finite participle):

I am reading.
She was sleeping.

Gerund (noun use):

Reading is fun.
I enjoy swimming.

Adjectival modifier:

the running water
a sleeping child

Adverbial:

Walking down the street, I saw her.

Past participle (-ed/-en)

Perfect (finite auxiliary + non-finite participle):

I have spoken.
She had eaten.

Passive (finite auxiliary + non-finite participle):

The letter was written.
He was seen by everyone.

Adjectival modifier:

a broken heart
the spoken word

Verbal noun vs gerund

Swimming is healthy. (gerund — no article)
The swimming of dolphins is graceful. (verbal noun — with article, of-phrase)

Chinese

No finite/non-finite distinction

Chinese verbs do not change form whether they are main verbs, complements, or modifiers:

我wǒ走zǒu。(I leave. — finite-like)
我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu。(I want to leave. — same form)
走zǒu很hěn好hǎo。(Leaving is good. — same form as subject)

Verbs as subjects (no special form)

学xué习xí很hěn重zhòng要yào。(Studying is important.)
说shuō谎huǎng不bù对duì。(Lying is wrong.)

Verbs as complements (no special form)

我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu。(I want to leave.)
他tā会huì来lái。(He can come.)
我wǒ喜xǐ欢huan游yóu泳yǒng。(I like swimming.)

的de for nominalization

Chinese uses 的de to nominalize a verb phrase:

我wǒ做zuò的de事shì (the things I do — nominalized clause)
读dú书shū的de人rén (people who read — relative)
跑pǎo的de动dòng作zuò (the action of running)

Aspect markers (not finiteness markers)

Chinese aspect markers apply regardless of syntactic position:

走zǒu了le (left — perfective)
走zǒu着zhe (walking — durative)
走zǒu过guò (have walked — experiential)

Note: 了le, 着zháo, 过guò are not finiteness markers. They indicate aspect and can appear on verbs in any syntactic position.

Coverbs as prepositions

Chinese coverbs function like prepositions but derive from verbs:

在zài北běi京jīng学xué习xí (study in Beijing — 在zài = at/in)
用yòng笔bǐ写xiě (write with a pen — 用yòng = use/with)
给gěi玛Mǎ丽lì买mǎi书shū (buy a book for María — 给gěi = give/for)

Note: Coverbs are a distinct category in Chinese, bridging verbs and prepositions.

Comparison at a glance

Feature	Spanish	English	Chinese
Infinitive	hablar	to speak / speak	走zǒu (same form)
Gerund/participle	hablando	speaking	走zǒu (same form)
Past participle	hablado	spoken	走zǒu (same form)
Progressive	estar + -ndo	be + -ing	在zài + verb
Perfect	haber + -ado/-ido	have + -ed/-en	verb + 了le/过guò
Passive	ser + -ado/-ido	be + -ed/-en	被bèi + verb
Same-subject complement	infinitive	to-infinitive	bare verb
Different-subject complement	subjunctive	for/to + clause	clause/clause
Finiteness distinction	Yes	Yes	No

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
Quiero ir. (ir = infinitive)	I want to leave. (to leave = to-infinitive)	我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu。(bare verb)
Hablar es fácil. (infinitive as subject)	Speaking is easy. (-ing gerund as subject)	说shuō话huà很hěn容róng易yì。(bare verb as topic)
Lo vi ir. (bare infinitive)	I saw him leave. (bare infinitive)	我wǒ看kàn见jiàn他tā走zǒu了le。(verb + aspect)

Common mistakes

English speakers learning Spanish: Me gusta nadando → Me gusta nadar (infinitive, not gerund)
Spanish speakers learning English: I want that I go → I want to go (infinitive with shared subject)
English speakers learning Chinese: 我wǒ想xiǎngto走zǒu → 我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu (no infinitive marker)
Chinese speakers learning English: I made him to go → I made him go (bare infinitive)

Gerunds: How -ing forms work
Verb Complementation: How verbs combine with complements
Verb Tenses: How tense is marked
Subjunctive: How mood is expressed

Examples

I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)

Quiero ir (ir = infinitive, non-finite)

Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)

Ir temprano es sabio (infinitive as subject)

Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)

Visto desde arriba (participio, non-finite)

Having finished, he left (perfect participle)

Habiendo terminado, se fue (gerundio compuesto)

The boy running away (present participle as modifier)

El chico que huye / El chico huyendo

I made him leave (bare infinitive)

Lo hice ir (infinitive without preposition)

He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)

Parece estar durmiendo (infinitive + gerund)

Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)

Sin decir una palabra (infinitive after preposition)

Examples

I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)

I want to leave (to leave = infinitive, non-finite)

Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)

Leaving early is wise (-ing form as subject)

Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)

Seen from above (past participle, non-finite)

Having finished, he left (perfect participle)

Having finished, he left (perfect gerund)

The boy running away (present participle as modifier)

The boy running away (-ing modifier)

I made him leave (bare infinitive)

He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)

Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)

Without saying a word (-ing after preposition)

Examples

I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)

我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu (走zǒu = same form as finite)

Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)

早zǎo走zǒu是shì明míng智zhì的de (verb as topic, no non-finite form)

Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)

从cóng上shàng面miàn看kàn (verb as modifier, no participle form)

Having finished, he left (perfect participle)

做zuò完wán了le，他tā就jiù走zǒu了le (serial verb + aspect)

The boy running away (present participle as modifier)

跑pǎo掉diào的de男nán孩hái (verb + 的de as modifier)

I made him leave (bare infinitive)

我wǒ让ràng他tā走zǒu (serial verb/causative)

He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)

他tā好hǎo像xiàng在zài睡shuì觉jué (好hǎo像xiàng + progressive 在zài)

Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)

一yī句jù话huà也yě不bù说shuō (verb directly, no non-finite form)

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)	Quiero ir (ir = infinitive, non-finite)	I want to leave (to leave = infinitive, non-finite)	我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu (走zǒu = same form as finite)
Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)	Ir temprano es sabio (infinitive as subject)	Leaving early is wise (-ing form as subject)	早zǎo走zǒu是shì明míng智zhì的de (verb as topic, no non-finite form)
Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)	Visto desde arriba (participio, non-finite)	Seen from above (past participle, non-finite)	从cóng上shàng面miàn看kàn (verb as modifier, no participle form)
Having finished, he left (perfect participle)	Habiendo terminado, se fue (gerundio compuesto)	Having finished, he left (perfect gerund)	做zuò完wán了le，他tā就jiù走zǒu了le (serial verb + aspect)
The boy running away (present participle as modifier)	El chico que huye / El chico huyendo	The boy running away (-ing modifier)	跑pǎo掉diào的de男nán孩hái (verb + 的de as modifier)
I made him leave (bare infinitive)	Lo hice ir (infinitive without preposition)	I made him leave (bare infinitive)	我wǒ让ràng他tā走zǒu (serial verb/causative)
He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)	Parece estar durmiendo (infinitive + gerund)	He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)	他tā好hǎo像xiàng在zài睡shuì觉jué (好hǎo像xiàng + progressive 在zài)
Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)	Sin decir una palabra (infinitive after preposition)	Without saying a word (-ing after preposition)	一yī句jù话huà也yě不bù说shuō (verb directly, no non-finite form)

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)	Quiero ir (ir = infinitive, non-finite)	I want to leave (to leave = infinitive, non-finite)	我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu (走zǒu = same form as finite)
Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)	Ir temprano es sabio (infinitive as subject)	Leaving early is wise (-ing form as subject)	早zǎo走zǒu是shì明míng智zhì的de (verb as topic, no non-finite form)
Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)	Visto desde arriba (participio, non-finite)	Seen from above (past participle, non-finite)	从cóng上shàng面miàn看kàn (verb as modifier, no participle form)
Having finished, he left (perfect participle)	Habiendo terminado, se fue (gerundio compuesto)	Having finished, he left (perfect gerund)	做zuò完wán了le，他tā就jiù走zǒu了le (serial verb + aspect)
The boy running away (present participle as modifier)	El chico que huye / El chico huyendo	The boy running away (-ing modifier)	跑pǎo掉diào的de男nán孩hái (verb + 的de as modifier)
I made him leave (bare infinitive)	Lo hice ir (infinitive without preposition)	I made him leave (bare infinitive)	我wǒ让ràng他tā走zǒu (serial verb/causative)
He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)	Parece estar durmiendo (infinitive + gerund)	He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)	他tā好hǎo像xiàng在zài睡shuì觉jué (好hǎo像xiàng + progressive 在zài)
Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)	Sin decir una palabra (infinitive after preposition)	Without saying a word (-ing after preposition)	一yī句jù话huà也yě不bù说shuō (verb directly, no non-finite form)

Examples in context

I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite)

Spanish

Quiero ir (ir = infinitive, non-finite)

English

I want to leave (to leave = infinitive, non-finite)

Chinese

我wǒ想xiǎng走zǒu (走zǒu = same form as finite)

Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject)

Spanish

Ir temprano es sabio (infinitive as subject)

English

Leaving early is wise (-ing form as subject)

Chinese

早zǎo走zǒu是shì明míng智zhì的de (verb as topic, no non-finite form)

Seen from above (past participle = non-finite)

Spanish

Visto desde arriba (participio, non-finite)

English

Seen from above (past participle, non-finite)

Chinese

从cóng上shàng面miàn看kàn (verb as modifier, no participle form)

Having finished, he left (perfect participle)

Spanish

Habiendo terminado, se fue (gerundio compuesto)

English

Having finished, he left (perfect gerund)

Chinese

做zuò完wán了le，他tā就jiù走zǒu了le (serial verb + aspect)

The boy running away (present participle as modifier)

Spanish

El chico que huye / El chico huyendo

English

The boy running away (-ing modifier)

Chinese

跑pǎo掉diào的de男nán孩hái (verb + 的de as modifier)

I made him leave (bare infinitive)

Spanish

Lo hice ir (infinitive without preposition)

English

I made him leave (bare infinitive)

Chinese

我wǒ让ràng他tā走zǒu (serial verb/causative)

He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)

Spanish

Parece estar durmiendo (infinitive + gerund)

English

He seems to be sleeping (progressive infinitive)

Chinese

他tā好hǎo像xiàng在zài睡shuì觉jué (好hǎo像xiàng + progressive 在zài)

Without saying a word (non-finite in subordinate)

Spanish

Sin decir una palabra (infinitive after preposition)

English

Without saying a word (-ing after preposition)

Chinese

一yī句jù话huà也yě不bù说shuō (verb directly, no non-finite form)

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Clear distinction. Finite verbs conjugate for person, number, tense, and mood. Non-finite forms are the infinitive, gerund (-ndo), and past. For example: "Visto desde arriba (participio, non-finite)".

English: Clear distinction. Finite verbs agree in the 3rd person singular present. Non-finite forms are the to-infinitive, bare infinitive, present p.

Chinese: No formal distinction. Verbs are invariant. Aspect markers (了le, 着zháo, 过guò) apply to verbs regardless of their syntactic position. The con.

Key concepts compared: I want to leave (to-infinitive = non-finite), Leaving early is wise (gerund = non-finite subject), Seen from above (past participle = non-finite).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Spanish use the infinitive where English uses the gerund (-ing)?

Spanish requires the infinitive after prepositions and many matrix verbs: *Me gusta nadar* (I like to swim), *Estoy pensando en ir* (I'm thinking about going). English uses the gerund in these contexts: 'I like swimming,' 'I'm thinking about going.' Chinese uses the bare verb: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>喜<rt>xǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>欢<rt>huan</rt></ruby><ruby>游<rt>yóu</rt></ruby><ruby>泳<rt>yǒng</rt></ruby> (I like swim). An English speaker learning Spanish will produce *Me gusta nadando* by analogy with 'I like swimming,' and a Spanish speaker learning English will produce 'I like to swim' (acceptable but less natural) or 'I'm thinking about to go' (ungrammatical).

How does Chinese lack of a finite/non-finite distinction affect learners of Spanish and English?

Chinese verbs are invariant: <ruby>走<rt>zǒu</rt></ruby> appears in finite clauses (<ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>走<rt>zǒu</rt></ruby> = He walks) and non-finite contexts (<ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>想<rt>xiǎng</rt></ruby><ruby>走<rt>zǒu</rt></ruby> = I want to walk) with identical form. There is no infinitive marker, no participle, no gerund. Chinese speakers learning Spanish or English must acquire an entirely new morphological category: verbs that do not carry tense. They will frequently produce finite verbs in non-finite slots ('I want go' instead of 'I want to go').

Why does English have bare infinitives after causative and perception verbs while Spanish uses the full infinitive?

English uses the bare infinitive (no 'to') after causatives and perception verbs: 'I made him leave,' 'I saw her cry.' Spanish also uses the infinitive but allows clitic pronouns: *Lo hice ir* (I made him go), *La vi llorar* (I saw her cry). Chinese uses serial verb constructions: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>让<rt>ràng</rt></ruby><ruby>他<rt>tā</rt></ruby><ruby>走<rt>zǒu</rt></ruby> (I let him go). The bare infinitive in English is a subcategorization quirk that learners must memorize verb by verb. Spanish speakers will sometimes add 'to' where it is forbidden ('I made him to leave'), and Chinese speakers will omit 'to' where it is required ('I want go').

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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verb-tenses gerunds participles

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Finite verb forms

Non-finite forms

Infinitive as subject

Infinitive as complement (same subject)

Infinitive after prepositions

Gerund (-ndo)

Past participle

Non-finite forms with auxiliary verbs

English

Finite verb forms

Non-finite forms

To-infinitive

Bare infinitive

Present participle / gerund (-ing)

Past participle (-ed/-en)

Verbal noun vs gerund

Chinese

No finite/non-finite distinction

Verbs as subjects (no special form)

Verbs as complements (no special form)

的de for nominalization

Aspect markers (not finiteness markers)

Coverbs as prepositions

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References