An infinitive verb is the plain form of a verb that is not conjugated and often has the word "to" before it. It is good to know the plain or base form of a verb, since that is the form that is typically the main listing for the word in a dictionary. You may hear the infinitive "to sit" conjugated as "sat" or "sitting," but the form of the word you will need if you care to look it up is the infinitive "sit." In standard usage, the infinitive will always be preceded by another verb.
An infinitive is often used in a sentence in combination with a conjugated from of "to be." In these examples, the subject "it" is used to make general observations:
It is going to blow up!
Caption 37, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives - Pam's Trinidadian Caribbean Kitchen
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It's going to boil down.
Caption 6, Cooking with Aria - French Toast and a Berry Topping
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It is not enough to obey Big Brother.
Caption 15, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - BBC TV Movie
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"The world is watching. It's time to detox."
-Greenpeace: Detox How People Power is Cleaning Up Fashion
The infinitives are written in bold above: to blow up, to boil, to obey, and to detox.
Further Learning
Read this in-depth article on infinitive verbs, then search for examples on Yabla English to see them used in a real-world context.
An infinitive verb is the plain form of a verb that is not conjugated and often has the word "to" before it. It is good to know the plain or base form of a verb, since that is the form that is typically the main listing for the word in a dictionary. You may hear the infinitive "to sit" conjugated as "sat" or "sitting," but the form of the word you will need if you care to look it up is the infinitive "sit." In standard usage, the infinitive will always be preceded by another verb.
The Japanese tradition is to sit on the stool in front of the faucets
Caption 22, An Apartment - In Japan
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In the example above, the infinitive is "to sit." Infinitives preceded by "to" are called "full infinitives."
You can sit right here. -Thank you.
Caption 5, Jessica and Liz - In a Restaurant
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In this example, the infinitive is the verb "sit." An infinitive without the "to" is called a "bare infinitive."
It's really exciting to know that I'm setting a good example for young people.
Caption 26, peta2 Interviews - Vegan Surfer Tia Blanco
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You did well to tell me. We must know everything.
Caption 35, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - BBC TV Movie
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In the first example above, you see the full infinitive "to know," and in the second example the bare infinitive "know."
Further Learning
Read this in-depth article on infinitive verbs, then search for examples on Yabla English to see them used in a real-world context.
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