405. Verbs which require a
Preposition as the Sign of the Infinitive. The English ' to
' before the infinitive is either not translated at all in Spanish
or translated by various prepositions.
a. After nouns and adjectives de is
very commonly used as the sign of the infinitive. Most of the
following constructions have already been treated.
tener ganas de
+ infinitive,
tener la intención de, |
and similar constructions
of tener + noun,
88 a. |
| Es bueno de
(or para) comer. |
It is good to eat. |
| Es hora de comer. |
It is time to eat. |
| |
| Observe however tener que +
infinitive (121). |
| |
| Tengo que decírselo. |
I have to tell it to him. |
b. After verbs, however, the matter
is much more complicated. In the vocabulary the preposition which
any verb may require before the infinitive is given with each
verb. Incomplete lists are given below.
406. The following verbs require the preposition
a before the infinitive:
a. Most verbs of motion and all verbs meaning
' to begin':
| acudir, |
to hasten. |
Acudió a decírmelo. |
| bajar, |
to descend,
come down. |
Bajó a lavarse. |
| correr, |
to run. |
Corre a coger la bola. |
| entrar, |
to enter. |
Ya entraron a comer. |
| ir, |
to go. |
Voy a verle mañana. |
| pasar, |
to pass. |
Pasó a darles las nuevas. |
| salir, |
to go out. |
Salió a encontraries. |
| subir, |
to ascend,
go up. |
Sube a vestirse. |
| venir, |
to come. |
Vengo a verles. |
| |
comenzar,
empezar,
principiar, |
} |
to begin. |
Comienza a hablar.
Empieza a llover. |
With the above verbs of motion
and with a few of those given below,
para or por may be used instead of
a, de, or en, if a
strong purpose or motive is implied. See 395, 398.
b. The following very common verbs:
| acercarse, |
to approach. |
enviar, |
to send. |
| alcanzar, |
to reach, succeed. |
inducir, |
to induce. |
| aplicarse, |
to apply one's self. |
invitar, |
to invite. |
| aprender, |
to learn. |
llegar, |
to come, succeed. |
| apresurarse, |
to hasten. |
negarse, |
to refuse. |
| aspirar, |
to aspire. |
obligar, |
to oblige. |
| atreverse, |
to dare. |
oponerse, |
to oppose. |
| ayudar, |
to help. |
pararse, |
to stop. |
| convidar, |
to invite. |
prepararse, |
to prepare. |
| detenerse, |
to stop. |
sentarse, |
to sit. |
| disponerse, |
to prepare. |
tornar, |
to return. |
| enseñar, |
to teach. |
volver, |
to---again. |
|
| |
Aprende
a hablar. |
| No
me atrevo a ir. |
| Ayúdame
a subir. |
| Le
enseño a leer. |
| Me
obligó a hacerlo. |
407. The following very common verbs require the
preposition de before the infinitive:
| abstenerse, |
to abstain. |
guardarse, |
to avoid. |
| acabar, |
to finish. |
hablar, |
to speak. |
| acordarse, |
to remember. |
olvidarse, |
to forget. |
| alegrarse, |
to be glad. |
pesar, |
to be sorry. |
| arrepentirse, |
to repent. |
reírse, |
to laugh. |
| cesar, |
to cease. |
sentirse, |
to feel. |
| dejar, |
to cease, fail. |
ser, |
to be. |
| descansar, |
to rest. |
temblar, |
to tremble. |
| dispensar, |
to excuse. |
tratar, |
to try, attempt. |
| |
Ya
acabó de hablar. |
No
se acuerda de decirlo. |
No
deje de ir. |
Tratan
de pasar. |
408. The following very common verbs require the
preposition en before the infinitive:
| acordar, |
to agree. |
insistir, |
to insist. |
| complacerse, |
to take pleasure. |
molestarse, |
to take the trouble. |
| consistir, |
to consist. |
ocuparse, |
to buy one's self. |
| empeñarse, |
to insist. |
pensar,1 |
to think (of). |
| equivocarse, |
to be mistaken. |
tardar, |
to delay. |
| fijarse, |
to pay attention. |
vacilar, |
to hesitate. |
| |
Acordamos
en hacer eso. |
Consienten
en venir. |
Insistieron
en irse. |
|
