Topics
IntermediateVerb Complementation
What verbs require infinitives, gerunds, or clauses as objects in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Different verbs select different types of complements. Spanish and English share Latinate patterns. Chinese uses coverbs and serial verb constructions.
Overview
Verb complementation refers to what kinds of structures can follow a verb: another verb (infinitive, gerund), a clause, or a noun phrase.
- Spanish: Most verbs take the infinitive. Perception verbs take infinitive or gerund (-ndo). Causative hacer takes infinitive. Verbs of influence trigger subjunctive in clauses.
- English: Verbs are idiosyncratic — some take to-infinitive (want to go), some take gerund (enjoy swimming), some take bare infinitive (make him go), some change meaning between forms (stop doing vs stop to do).
- Chinese: Verbs are followed directly by other verbs without special marking. Coverbs (叫, 让, 使) introduce causative complements. Resultative compounds express completion.
Spanish
Infinitive complements
Most Spanish verbs take the infinitive:
Desire / intention:
- Quiero ir. (I want to go.)
- Espero llegar pronto. (I hope to arrive soon.)
- Decidí quedarme. (I decided to stay.)
- Intento hacerlo. (I try to do it.)
- Necesito estudiar. (I need to study.)
Obligation:
- Debo ir. (I must go.)
- Tengo que hacerlo. (I have to do it.)
- Es necesario venir. (It’s necessary to come.)
Ability:
- Puedo ayudarte. (I can help you.)
- Sé nadar. (I know how to swim.)
Gerund (-ndo) with estar
Progressive only:
- Estoy comiendo. (I am eating.)
- Estaba leyendo. (I was reading.)
Perception verbs: infinitive vs gerund
| Construction | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lo vi hacer algo. | I saw him do something. (completed) |
| Lo vi haciendo algo. | I saw him doing something. (in progress) |
- Lo oí cantar. (I heard him sing. — completed)
- Lo oí cantando. (I heard him singing. — in progress)
Causative hacer
- Hizo reír a todos. (He made everyone laugh.)
- Me hizo esperar. (He made me wait.)
- La hice llorar. (I made her cry.)
Dejar / permitir
- Dejó salir a los niños. (He let the children go out.)
- Permitió entrar a Juan. (He allowed Juan to enter.)
Verbs of influence (subjunctive in clause)
- Quiero que vengas. (I want you to come. — subjunctive clause)
- Mando que lo hagas. (I order you to do it.)
- Prefiero que vengas temprano. (I prefer that you come early.)
Gustar-type verbs
- Me gusta nadar. (I like swimming. — infinitive)
- Me encanta viajar. (I love traveling.)
English
To-infinitive
Desire / intention:
- I want to go.
- I hope to win.
- I decided to stay.
- I need to study.
- I tried to help.
Obligation:
- I must go. (bare infinitive with modal)
- I have to go. (semi-modal)
- It’s necessary to come.
Future / arrangement:
- I plan to leave tomorrow.
- I promise to call.
Gerund (-ing)
Enjoyment:
- I enjoy swimming.
- I love traveling.
- I hate waiting.
Avoidance / completion:
- I avoid eating meat.
- I finished reading the book.
- I suggested going early.
Preposition + gerund:
- I’m interested in learning.
- She insisted on paying.
- He apologized for being late.
Verbs that change meaning
| Verb + to-infinitive | Verb + gerund |
|---|---|
| I stopped to smoke (in order to smoke) | I stopped smoking (quit the habit) |
| I remembered to call (didn’t forget) | I remembered calling (have the memory) |
| I tried to open it (attempt) | I tried opening it (experiment) |
| I forgot to call (didn’t do it) | I forgot calling (don’t have the memory) |
| I regret to inform you (formal bad news) | I regret telling him (past action) |
Object + to-infinitive
- I told him to leave.
- She asked me to help.
- They warned us not to go.
Object + bare infinitive
- I made him laugh. (causative)
- Let me go.
- I had him fix it. (causative have)
- I saw him leave. (perception)
- I heard her sing. (perception)
Object + gerund
- I caught him stealing.
- I found her waiting.
- I smell something burning.
Chinese
Bare verb complements
Chinese verbs take other verbs directly:
Desire / intention:
- 我想走。(I want to go.)
- 我希望赢。(I hope to win.)
- 我决定留下。(I decided to stay.)
Ability:
- 我能帮你。(I can help you.)
- 我会游泳。(I know how to swim.)
Like / enjoy:
- 我喜欢游泳。(I like swimming.)
- 我爱旅行。(I love traveling.)
Coverb causatives
叫 / 让 / 使 (tell/let/make):
- 他叫我走。(He told me to leave.)
- 他让我等。(He made me wait.)
- 他使我生气。(He made me angry. — formal)
把 construction (causative/resultative)
- 我把他逗笑了。(I made him laugh.)
- 我把门开了。(I opened the door.)
Resultative compounds
- 看见 (look + perceive = see)
- 听懂 (listen + understand = understand by hearing)
- 做完 (do + finish = finish doing)
- 吃完 (eat + finish = finish eating)
在 for progressive
- 我在吃饭。(I am eating.)
- 他在看书。(He is reading.)
了 / 过 / 着 as aspect markers
- 我吃了。(I ate. / I have eaten.)
- 我吃过。(I have eaten before.)
- 我吃着饭。(I am eating [state].)
Comparison at a glance
| Pattern | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Want to go | Quiero ir | I want to go | 我想走 |
| Enjoy swimming | Me gusta nadar | I enjoy swimming | 我喜欢游泳 |
| Tell someone to go | Decir que vaya / Mandar ir | Tell someone to go | 叫/让某人走 |
| Make someone laugh | Hacer reír | Make someone laugh | 把某人逗笑 |
| See someone leave | Ver salir | See someone leave | 看见某人走了 |
| Try to do | Intentar hacer | Try to do | 试着做 |
| Try doing (experiment) | Probar haciendo | Try doing | 做做看 |
| Stop to do (in order to) | Parar para hacer | Stop to do | 停下来去做 |
| Stop doing (quit) | Dejar de hacer | Stop doing | 不做了 |
Examples in context
I want to go
- ES: Quiero ir.
- EN: I want to go.
- ZH: 我想走。
I enjoy swimming
- ES: Me gusta nadar.
- EN: I enjoy swimming.
- ZH: 我喜欢游泳。
He told me to leave
- ES: Me dijo que me fuera. / Me mandó irme.
- EN: He told me to leave.
- ZH: 他叫我走。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Me gusta nadando → Me gusta nadar (infinitive)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: I enjoy to swim → I enjoy swimming (gerund)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 我想to走 → 我想走 (no to)
-
Chinese speakers learning English: I make him to laugh → I make him laugh (bare infinitive)
Related topics
- Gerunds: How -ing forms work
- Causatives: How causative constructions work
- Modals: How modal verbs combine with complements
- Light Verbs: How verb-noun compounds work
Examples
I want to leave
Quiero irse (infinitive)
I enjoy swimming
Me gusta nadar (infinitive)
I decided to stay
Decidí quedarme (infinitive)
He told me to leave
Me dijo que me fuera (subjunctive) / Me mandó irme (infinitive)
I saw him leave
Lo vi irse (infinitive) / Lo vi salir (infinitive)
I made him laugh
Lo hice reír (hacer + infinitive)
I hope to win
Espero ganar (infinitive)
I can't help laughing
No puedo evitar reírme / No puedo por menos de reír
Examples
I want to leave
I want to leave (to-infinitive)
I enjoy swimming
I enjoy swimming (gerund)
I decided to stay
I decided to stay (to-infinitive)
He told me to leave
He told me to leave (object + to-infinitive)
I saw him leave
I saw him leave (bare infinitive)
I made him laugh
I made him laugh (causative make + bare infinitive)
I hope to win
I hope to win (to-infinitive)
I can't help laughing
I can't help laughing (gerund)
Examples
I want to leave
我想走 (bare verb)
I enjoy swimming
我喜欢游泳 (bare verb)
I decided to stay
我决定留下 (bare verb)
He told me to leave
他叫我走 (coverb + object + verb)
I saw him leave
我看见他走了 (verb + complement)
I made him laugh
我把他逗笑了 (把 + object + result verb)
I hope to win
我希望赢 (bare verb)
I can't help laughing
我忍不住笑 (verb + 不住 + verb)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want to leave | Quiero irse (infinitive) | I want to leave (to-infinitive) | 我想走 (bare verb) |
| I enjoy swimming | Me gusta nadar (infinitive) | I enjoy swimming (gerund) | 我喜欢游泳 (bare verb) |
| I decided to stay | Decidí quedarme (infinitive) | I decided to stay (to-infinitive) | 我决定留下 (bare verb) |
| He told me to leave | Me dijo que me fuera (subjunctive) / Me mandó irme (infinitive) | He told me to leave (object + to-infinitive) | 他叫我走 (coverb + object + verb) |
| I saw him leave | Lo vi irse (infinitive) / Lo vi salir (infinitive) | I saw him leave (bare infinitive) | 我看见他走了 (verb + complement) |
| I made him laugh | Lo hice reír (hacer + infinitive) | I made him laugh (causative make + bare infinitive) | 我把他逗笑了 (把 + object + result verb) |
| I hope to win | Espero ganar (infinitive) | I hope to win (to-infinitive) | 我希望赢 (bare verb) |
| I can't help laughing | No puedo evitar reírme / No puedo por menos de reír | I can't help laughing (gerund) | 我忍不住笑 (verb + 不住 + verb) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want to leave | Quiero irse (infinitive) | I want to leave (to-infinitive) | 我想走 (bare verb) |
| I enjoy swimming | Me gusta nadar (infinitive) | I enjoy swimming (gerund) | 我喜欢游泳 (bare verb) |
| I decided to stay | Decidí quedarme (infinitive) | I decided to stay (to-infinitive) | 我决定留下 (bare verb) |
| He told me to leave | Me dijo que me fuera (subjunctive) / Me mandó irme (infinitive) | He told me to leave (object + to-infinitive) | 他叫我走 (coverb + object + verb) |
| I saw him leave | Lo vi irse (infinitive) / Lo vi salir (infinitive) | I saw him leave (bare infinitive) | 我看见他走了 (verb + complement) |
| I made him laugh | Lo hice reír (hacer + infinitive) | I made him laugh (causative make + bare infinitive) | 我把他逗笑了 (把 + object + result verb) |
| I hope to win | Espero ganar (infinitive) | I hope to win (to-infinitive) | 我希望赢 (bare verb) |
| I can't help laughing | No puedo evitar reírme / No puedo por menos de reír | I can't help laughing (gerund) | 我忍不住笑 (verb + 不住 + verb) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
I want to leave
Spanish
Quiero irse (infinitive)
English
I want to leave (to-infinitive)
Chinese
我想走 (bare verb)
I enjoy swimming
Spanish
Me gusta nadar (infinitive)
English
I enjoy swimming (gerund)
Chinese
我喜欢游泳 (bare verb)
I decided to stay
Spanish
Decidí quedarme (infinitive)
English
I decided to stay (to-infinitive)
Chinese
我决定留下 (bare verb)
He told me to leave
Spanish
Me dijo que me fuera (subjunctive) / Me mandó irme (infinitive)
English
He told me to leave (object + to-infinitive)
Chinese
他叫我走 (coverb + object + verb)
I saw him leave
Spanish
Lo vi irse (infinitive) / Lo vi salir (infinitive)
English
I saw him leave (bare infinitive)
Chinese
我看见他走了 (verb + complement)
I made him laugh
Spanish
Lo hice reír (hacer + infinitive)
English
I made him laugh (causative make + bare infinitive)
Chinese
我把他逗笑了 (把 + object + result verb)
I hope to win
Spanish
Espero ganar (infinitive)
English
I hope to win (to-infinitive)
Chinese
我希望赢 (bare verb)
I can't help laughing
Spanish
No puedo evitar reírme / No puedo por menos de reír
English
I can't help laughing (gerund)
Chinese
我忍不住笑 (verb + 不住 + verb)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Most verbs take the infinitive. Perception verbs take infinitive or gerund (-ndo). Causative hacer takes infinitive. Verbs of influence trig...
English: Verbs are idiosyncratic — some take to-infinitive (want to go), some take gerund (enjoy swimming), some take bare infinitive (make him go), ...
Chinese: Verbs are followed directly by other verbs without special marking. Coverbs (叫jiào, 让ràng, 使shǐ) introduce causative complements. Resultativ...
Key concepts compared: I want to leave, I enjoy swimming, I decided to stay.
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Last updated: June 4, 2026