# The first thing we did was look / to look for our hotel



## Magg

Hello,

This is the sentence and I don't know whether to write 'to' or not where que question mark '?' is placed. And would you explain why?

_When we arrived in Manchester, the first thing we did was *?* look for our hotel._

Thanks a lot
Magg


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## Focalist

-- the first thing we did was to look for our hotel
-- the first thing we did was look for our hotel

You can say either! (Not very helpful, is it? )

The second might be slightly more colloquial, but both are perfectly acceptable, in my humble opinion.

F


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## Magg

Thanks F -- your humble opinion and others' always help me a lot.

M.


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## Artrella

Hola Magg, es como dice F, por supuesto!!!  Pero a mí me gusta más con "to".

Saluditos


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## Magg

Gracias Art.
¿Puedes comprobar si estoy en lo cierto?:

*What I like the most is (to) spend time with my friends.* (with or without 'to')
*What I like to do the most is spend time with my friends*. (no 'to' because it is already in the sentence)

Do I have to apply the rule like this?

Thanks
M.


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## Artrella

Magg said:
			
		

> Gracias Art.
> ¿Puedes comprobar si estoy en lo cierto?:
> 
> *What I like the most is (to) spend time with my friends.* (with or without 'to')
> *What I like to do the most is spend time with my friends*. (no 'to' because it is already in the sentence)
> 
> Do I have to apply the rule like this?
> 
> Thanks
> M.




*I like* >>> like + to infinitive or like+noun/gerund

La segunda oración es un poquito rara para mí, pero no está mal.  Yo le pondría el "to". O diría "What I like to do the most is spending time..."

Pero tengo dudas con esto>>>  "What* I like to do the most * "

Habría que esperar a que algún nativo nos aclare este punto, por lo menos a mí.

Besos!!


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## Focalist

Look out! Here comes a "native" sowing confusion..



> [a.] What I like the most is (to) spend time with my friends. (with or without 'to')
> [b.] What I like to do the most is spend time with my friends. (no 'to' because it is already in the sentence)


1. The 'to' in sentence [a.] is *obligatory* (unless, of course, you change 'spend' to 'spending').
2. 'To' before 'spend' in sentence [b.] is optional. I think the sentence sounds better without it.
3. 'What I like to do the most' would be better expressed as 'What I most like to do'.

F


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## Artrella

Focalist said:
			
		

> Look out! Here comes a "native" sowing confusion..
> 
> 1. The 'to' in sentence [a.] is *obligatory* (unless, of course, you change 'spend' to 'spending').
> 2. 'To' before 'spend' in sentence [b.] is optional. I think the sentence sounds better without it.
> 3. 'What I like to do the most' would be better expressed as 'What I most like to do'.
> 
> F





Thank you Profe!!!


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## jacinta

Magg said:
			
		

> Gracias Art.
> ¿Puedes comprobar si estoy en lo cierto?:
> 
> *What I like the most is (to) spend time with my friends.* (with or without 'to')
> *What I like to do the most is spend time with my friends*. (no 'to' because it is already in the sentence)
> 
> Do I have to apply the rule like this?
> 
> Thanks
> M.



As far as rules go, I'm sure there is one floating around somewhere  .   Both of these sentences are fine.  Remember that repeating infinitives is not necessary; in other words, repeating "to" isn't necessary but at the same time isn't wrong.  I'm sure I've said:  "What I like to do most is to spend time with friends."
But probably would say:  "What I like to do most is spend time with my friends". 
Or how about: "What I like doing most is spending time with my friends".
Should I go on??? No!  

Just like a lot of things, it is a matter of personal choice.

Saludos


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## herman zermitz

Agree with Focalist and Jacinta.

A still more colloquial formula would be:

"What I most like doing is" + infinitive ("spending time with friends" etc)

Herman


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## Artrella

herman zermitz said:
			
		

> Agree with Focalist and Jacinta.
> 
> A still more colloquial formula would be:
> 
> "What I most like doing is" + i*nfinitive * *("spending * time with friends" etc)
> 
> Herman




Well, Herman, in fact "spending" is a gerund, not an infinitive...


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## Eustache

recuerda que siempre que tienes verbos que provoquen "placer" como like, love, adore enjoy, prefer, hate, can't stand, don't mind, finish o look forward to... siempre se usa:

v + ing


pura vida!!!!


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## Artrella

vriverad said:
			
		

> recuerda que siempre que tienes verbos que provoquen "placer" como like, love, adore enjoy, prefer, hate, can't stand, don't mind, finish o look forward to...* siempre * se usa:
> 
> v + ing
> 
> 
> pura vida!!!!




No siempre V   !! Se puede usar el "to infinitive" también.  Mirá esta explicación:

 In *British English*, like + ing  form is used mostly to talk about enjoyment, and like + infinitive  mostly to talk about choices and habits.

 In *American English*, like + infinitive  is common in *both senses*.

_I like climbing mountains (BrE)

I like to climb mountains (AmE)_


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## zeppo

jacinta said:
			
		

> As far as rules go, I'm sure there is one floating around somewhere  . Both of these sentences are fine.
> Saludos


 
Well, just to be clear, with the first sentence, it is asked whether it is okay as written with and/or without the "to".  That sentence is only fine *if* the "to" is left in (*as written*).  Without it, it is not correct.


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## jacinta

zeppo said:
			
		

> Well, just to be clear, with the first sentence, it is asked whether it is okay as written with and/or without the "to".  That sentence is only fine *if* the "to" is left in (*as written*).  Without it, it is not correct.



Yes, I agree, if we are talking about these sentences, right?  



> What I like the most is (to) spend time with my friends. (with or without 'to')
> What I like to do the most is spend time with my friends. (no 'to' because it is already in the sentence)



Chao


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## Magg

OK. Got it!

One more question. Could I also use 'best' instead of 'most'? 

*What I best like ...*

And what about:
*I like apples best/most. * Is it fine?

Magg


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## Focalist

Magg said:
			
		

> OK. Got it!
> 
> One more question. Could I also use 'best' instead of 'most'?
> 
> *What I best like ...*


No, it has to be "what I like best".



> And what about:
> *I like apples best/most. *


Both fine. "I like apples the best" is another possibility.

F


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## zeppo

jacinta said:
			
		

> Yes, I agree, if we are talking about these sentences, right?
> 
> Chao


 
Yes, I was commenting in regards to the first of those sentences, and only as written in the question, just to clarify.


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## cristóbal

Focalist said:
			
		

> Both fine. "I like apples the best" is another possibility.
> 
> F



This would be my _preferred_ way to say it... I think "I like apples most" sounds just an eency weency bit awkward to me.  Whereas:

I like apples best
I like apples the best
I like apples the most

all sound fine...  How picky we are with our language, huh?


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## Magg

OK! Thanks all.

Cristóbal, you're right, your language is sometimes desesperately tricky.  

Magg


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## cristóbal

Magg said:
			
		

> OK! Thanks all.
> 
> Cristóbal, you're right, your language is sometimes desesperately tricky.
> 
> Magg



Something I've been trying to cope with all my life! 

Oh, and it's "desperately"  The easiest way to remember that is that we mispelled the word in Spanish for the movie "Desperado" with Antonio Banderas... 

desperate
desesperado

desesperadamente
desperately


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## Magg

Oh, Yes Cristóbal.
Thanks for your good piece of advice. I'll remember it desperately.

Magg


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## herman zermitz

Artrella said:
			
		

> Well, Herman, in fact "spending" is a gerund, not an infinitive...



¡Ay! disculpas a todos - una tontería de mi parte. Gracias Artrella.

Herman


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## sendai

Focalist said:
			
		

> 1. The 'to' in sentence [a.] is *obligatory* (unless, of course, you change 'spend' to 'spending').


Really? It sounds completely fine to me with or without the "to". Maybe it's a difference between British and American English. (Saying "spending" sounds okay, too.)



> 3. 'What I like to do the most' would be better expressed as 'What I most like to do'.


I would have said, "What I like to do most".  All of the options expressed so far sound fine to me, though.


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## cristóbal

sendai said:
			
		

> Really? It sounds completely fine to me with or without the "to". Maybe it's a difference between British and American English. (Saying "spending" sounds okay, too.)



Hmmm... are you referring to "What I like most is spend time with my friends." ??  That sounds really weird to me without the "to" or without changing spend to the gerund.  Perhaps it sounds ok when you say it because the "to" that ought to be there is hardly noticeable, but it would definitely be grammatically incorrect to leave it as "... I like most is spend..."


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## sendai

cristóbal said:
			
		

> Hmmm... are you referring to "What I like most is spend time with my friends." ?? That sounds really weird to me without the "to" or without changing spend to the gerund. Perhaps it sounds ok when you say it because the "to" that ought to be there is hardly noticeable, but it would definitely be grammatically incorrect to leave it as "... I like most is spend..."


Oops!  I misread the sentence.  You and Focalist are completely right.


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## amalan2k

woooooooaaaaaaa, yeah
-Avanti


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## jaykemin

_When we arrived in Manchester, the first thing we did was *?* look for our hotel._
In this sentence you don't have to place a question mark. You can simply say
When we arrived in Manchester, the first thing we did was to look for a hotel.
or
The first thing we did when we arrived in Manchester was to look for a hotel.

As simple as that....

Hope this would help


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