Infinitivsformen

Infinitivsformen, or the infinitive form, is the basic non-finite verb form that typically represents the action or state of the verb without specifying subject, tense, mood, or aspect. It is commonly used as the dictionary form of verbs and as the form needed after auxiliary verbs or certain adjectives and nouns.

In English, the infinitive exists as two main variants: the to-infinitive, as in to eat or to run, and the bare infinitive, as in eat or run. The bare infinitive is used after modal verbs (must, can, may, will, should, might) and after certain other verbs, while the to-infinitive is used after most verbs, adjectives, nouns, and in many subordinate clauses.

In many other languages, the infinitive is marked differently. Some languages use a distinct marker such as to or att, while others have a single bare form with no extra marker. Romance languages typically have a single infinitive form ending in -are, -ere, or -ire (for example, hablar, comer, vivir in Spanish). German uses the infinitive as a base form, often ending in -en or -n. Swedish uses the infinitive with the marker att in standard constructions and a bare form in certain contexts.

Infinitivsformen can also function as a noun, forming infinitive clauses that act as subjects or objects: for example, “To err is human” or “I want to learn.” It contrasts with gerunds and participles, which are non-finite forms derived from -ing forms in English and other languages and often function as nouns or adjectives.