Gerunds After Verbs

B1 Eiken 2 Intermediate

verb + -ing

Explanation

Use a verb with "-ing" after many common verbs.

For example, "I enjoy cooking." Here, "I" is the subject, and "enjoy" is the main verb. "Cooking" is the activity I like, so English uses the "-ing" form. Do not say "I enjoy to cook." Japanese often says "料理することが好きです," so the English pattern can feel different. In English, the second verb usually changes to "-ing" after verbs like "enjoy", "finish", "avoid", and "mind".

Examples

  • I enjoy cooking at home. 私は家で料理するのが好きです。
  • She finished studying late. 彼女は遅くまで勉強を終えました。
  • Do you mind opening the window? 窓を開けてもらえますか。
  • We kept walking until it got dark. 暗くなるまで歩き続けました。
  • He avoided answering the question. 彼はその質問に答えるのを避けました。
  • I don't like waiting in long lines. 私は長い列で待つのが好きではありません。

Common Mistakes

Japanese learners often use "to" after these verbs, because Japanese often uses "〜すること".

Wrong: "I enjoy to cook."

Right: "I enjoy cooking."

Wrong: "She finished to study."

Right: "She finished studying."

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