Gerunds vs. Infinitives
-ing रूप बनाम to + क्रिया
After certain verbs, English demands the -ing form; after others, it demands 'to' plus the verb — a split Hindi doesn't make at all, since Hindi's own verbal-noun form (the -ना infinitive, like तैरना) stays exactly the same no matter which verb precedes it.
Grammar Comparison
व्याकरण तुलना
Memorize per-verb, since there's no reliable rule
I enjoy swimming. (enjoy + -ing) vs. I want to swim. (want + to + verb)
मुझे तैरना पसंद है। / मैं तैरना चाहता हूँ। (तैरना एक ही रूप में रहता है, चाहे आगे कोई भी क्रिया आए)
Hindi doesn't split the verb form this way — तैरना ('to swim'/'swimming') stays exactly the same whether the surrounding verb is पसंद है ('enjoy') or चाहता हूँ ('want'). English forces a binary lexical choice after certain verbs: enjoy, avoid, and finish take -ing, while want, decide, and hope take to + verb — and unfortunately this choice has to be memorized verb by verb, since no consistent underlying logic predicts it the way Hindi's single uniform -ना form does. Build a running list as you meet each new verb, rather than searching for a rule that explains all of them at once.
Vocabulary
शब्दावली
| English | Pronunciation | Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| I enjoy swimming. | eye en-JOY SWIM-ing | मुझे तैरना पसंद है।mujhe tairnā pasand hai. |
| I want to swim. | eye wont too swim | मैं तैरना चाहता हूँ।maiñ tairnā cāhtā hūñ. |
| She finished cooking. | shee FIN-isht KOOK-ing | उसने खाना बनाना ख़त्म किया।usne khānā banānā khatm kiyā. |
| He decided to leave. | hee di-SY-did too leev | उसने जाने का फ़ैसला किया।usne jāne kā faislā kiyā. |