infinitivesplacing

Infinitives placing is a term in linguistics describing how infinitival clauses are positioned within sentences across languages. An infinitive is a non-finite verb form that often appears with the particle to in English, or in other languages as a bare verb stem. The distribution of infinitives affects clause structure, argument licensing, and meaning, particularly in complement and purpose clauses.

In English, infinitives occur in several well-known patterns. The to-infinitive typically follows main verbs (I want to eat), adjectives (easy to use), and nouns in noun-complement structures (the time to decide). Infinitival clauses can express purpose (I went to the store to buy milk) or serve as extraposed subjects (To err is human). The split infinitive—placing an adverb between to and the verb (to boldly go)—is a classic example of infinitive placement; modern usage generally accepts split infinitives, though some style guides discourage them in formal writing.

Cross-linguistic patterns show substantial variation in infinitive placement. German uses the infinitive with zu (Infinitiv mit zu) after certain verbs or adjectives, and often omits zu after modal verbs. Dutch typically uses the te-infinitive. Romance languages rely on infinitives for non-finite clauses, but with language-specific alternations for tense, aspect, and complementation. In many languages, infinitives function as clausal complements without a finite tense, and their placement is determined by the governing verb and the syntactic role of the clause (complement, purpose, or modifier).

Historically, infinitives are analyzed as non-finite clauses whose placement interacts with other non-finite constructions, such as participial phrases and mood markings. Dialectal and register-based variation in infinitive placement is a common focus in syntax and typology, contributing to our understanding of clause structure and information flow.