Infinitive

Common card · No. 218438

Infinitive (abbreviated inf) is a term in linguistics for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs that do not show a tense. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The name is derived from Late Latin [modus] infinitivus, a derivative of infinitus meaning 'not finite'. In traditional descriptions of English, the infinitive is the basic dictionary form of a verb when used non-finitely, with or without the particle to. Thus to go is an infinitive, as is go in a sentence like "I must go there" (but not in "I go there", where it is a finite verb). The form without to is called the bare infinitive, and the form with to is called the full infinitive or to-infinitive. In many other languages the infinitive is a distinct single word, often with a characteristic inflective ending, like cantar ('[to] sing') in Portuguese, morir ('[to] die') in Spanish, manger ('[to] eat') in French, portare ('[to] carry...

Read on Wikipedia