# EN: I love + to-infinitive / V-ing



## andac

Bonjour,
j'ai une question à 10 francs: dans la pub pour Chanel N°5, Nicole Kidman s'exclame "I love to dance" . Or on m'a toujours appris "I love V+ing" . Est-ce moi qui comprend mal ?

*Note des modérateurs :* Plusieurs fils ont été fusionnés pour créer celui-ci.


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## clairet

"I love to dance" marche bien.  C'est une forme tout à fait normale.


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## mnewcomb71

I love dancing s'approche plutôt à "C'est la danse que j'adore".
I love to dance = J'adore danser.


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## geostan

Les deux se disent. J'ajouterais seulement que dans ce cas, I love to dance est plus spécifique.

I love dancing peut indiquer que le locuteur aime le sujet de la danse (regarder les gens danser, lire des livres sur la danse, etc.)

I love to dance n'a qu'un sens: J'aime danser.

Cheers!


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## clairet

mnewcomb71 said:


> I love dancing s'approche plutôt à "C'est la danse que j'adore".
> I love to dance = J'adore danser.


 
mnwcomb71 makes an important distinction, but please note that "I love dancing" can also be the equivalent of "I love to dance" (i.e. both can refer to what I like doing myself; but only "I love dancing" can refer to an art form that I like).


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## nathanbroaddus

i agree but I would be more likely to say "I love dance" if I was talking about the art form


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## geostan

This sounds odd to me. It's not something I would say.


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## nathanbroaddus

I suppose it uses the noun dance rather than the verb. like "I love art" or "I love music" one could say "I love dance". Perhaps that's particular to the word dance, though, because you couldn't say, "I love hunt" or "I love walk"


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## geostan

Well, I would say I love art and I love music, but I would never say I love dance. Sorry, it just sounds strange to my ear.

Cheers!


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## clairet

"I love dance" (to refer to the art form) is definitely an English usage (here in BE anyway).  It may be that it is particularly lovers of the art form who refer to dancing as dance, perhaps to distinguish it from other kinds of dancing.


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## Yikupai

Est-ce que quelqu'un sait quelle différence il y a entre "I love to dance" et "I love dancing"?


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## J.F. de TROYES

Bienvenue sur ce forum qui , je l'espère, répondra à vos attentes.

Une grammaire que j'ai sous la main attribue une valeur générale au participe et une valeur ponctuelle à l'infinitif, donc :
I love dancing ( c'est toujours un plaisir pour moi de danser )
I'd love to dance after dinner.

Mais mieux vaudrait avoir l'avis d'un "natif" .


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## lapsangsouchong

That sounds like a grammar book trying slightly too hard to explain everything, I think.  Both constructions are 'general'; the more 'specific' example you give "I'd love to dance after dinner" is made more specific by the addition of the auxiliary verb ("I *would *love to dance after dinner") and not by the use of the infinitive *to dance*.  Without that auxiliary verb, the sentence would be general:
_
I love to dance after dinner

I love dancing after dinner_

--these are both correct and both general.  And interchangeable too, I'd say.

Note the following, though, with the more specific usage:

_I would love to dance after dinner_ [i.e. this evening]

_ I would love dancing after dinner_ [i.e. this evening]


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## borcan2010

what about this phrase it's true or fulse?

I would love to dancing after dinner this evening


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## hungerfordjustice

> I would love to dancing after dinner this evening


 
"to dancing" doesn't make sense. The "to" suggests you are using the infinitive, but "dancing" is the gerund. You would need one or the other. The context of this use ("would...this evening") as was said above, requires the use of the infinitive because it is refering to a specific time.

To return to the original question. As lapsangsouchong pointed out, you could say either "I love dancing" or "I love to dance" and they would both mean "j'aime dancer" in general. Even "I love dancing after dinner" or "I love to dance after dinner" would be general (although I'm not sure what the best translation would be: "j'aime dancer apres les diners" ?).

There is, however, a VERY SLIGHT difference between the two--at least to my ears--which doesn't change the meaning but rather perhaps the emphasis or tone.

When someone says "I love dancing," the emphasis seems to be a bit more on the carrying out of the activity of dancing. When I here this, I think more of the actually being-in-the-act-of-dancing.

The construction "I love to dance" is slightly more abstract, and doesn't seem to focus on the doing-the-dancing as much as the activity of dancing as a whole. As a result, it sounds a TOUCH more formal.

This difference is really only perceptible to me when I actually contrast them, and it is such a subtle difference that it certainly makes no difference when you are simply trying to explain what things you like or don't like. I'm not even sure if other native english speakers would agree that there is such a difference. Regardless, you should treat them as interchangeable (at least in this context where you speaking generally).


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## marathon

Good evening,
Well this is quite basic a question but I never know whether I can equally say "I love drawing" or "I love to draw". The first version comes more naturally...
Thanks for your help!


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## Iznogoud

Both are fine but the infinitive form seems more natural to me if that's all you're saying.

_I love to draw
I just love to draw
_
But in some other sentences, the gerund seems more natural.

_I love drawing so much more than writing_

I'm sorry I can't come up with a good explanation for which form to use.

Perhaps this post in in the wrong forum anyway.


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## Nicklondon

Both are correct; you can use gerund when you speak in general and infinitive for a particular situation.

Which sport do you like? I like swimming.(In general)
I like to swim in the mornings.(Particular situation)


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## marathon

Ok, thanks!
Still, does it mean I can't say "I love swimming in the morning"?
Sorry if I'm being a little overzealous...


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## clairet

You can certainly say "I love swimming in the morning."  Also, I can't see anything wrong with "Which sport do you like?  I like to swim."  

A difference which the swimming/to swim example highlights is that the infinitive indicates the sport which the respondent likes to participate in.  "I like swimming" can mean either I like to do it myself (as in the "in the morning" example) or I like I like it more generally (to watch and/or do).


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## wriggler

Hi everyone,

I was just reading this thread as one of my students asked the same question. Here is my attempt to explain it:

I love to dance: j'adore danser

I love dancing: j'adore l'act de danser (The gerund can often be distinguished from the present participle by inserting the words _the act of_ before it, (though this is true of the verbal noun, too): _I enjoy [the act of] drinking wine_.)

Does this help? They are essentially the same thing.


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## catapulte

Hi,

I found in the WordReference English/French dictionary this sentence : "I love to read, but I have trouble when it comes to studying science" (http://www.wordreference.com/enfr/when it comes to). I once learnt that the verb "love" should be followed by an "-ing verb" so why isn't it "I love reading, but..."?

Thanks a lot for your answer


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## redbull423

Either option is correct. 

The grammatical difference in your example is that "to read" is a verbal direct object, whereas the gerund form "reading" functions as a noun. There is also subtle difference in the meaning, as using "to read" implies a more passive, general activity, whereas "reading" makes it sound as though the speaker is actively engaging in the activity.


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## Shirlaine

Hi everyone,

I was just writing a message to a friend I haven't talk with for a long time and I instinctively wrote "Give me some news, *I love hearing from you*". But it sounded weird so I corrected for "*I love to hear from you*". 

The thing is I usually use -ing after the verb love and I am a bit confused with this subtlety. Could you please help me understand the grammatical point and the difference for these two sentences ?

Thank you in advance !


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## Forero

The "hearing" version is the one you mean, and it does not sound weird.

"Hearing from you" acts as a noun phrase, the direct object of "love"; but "love to" behaves rather like a modal.

I believe you want "love" to mean "enjoy" as opposed to "with pleasure":

"I love to hear from you" = "I hear from you with pleasure", approximately.

"I love hearing from you" = "I enjoy hearing from you", or "I take pleasure in hearing from you", approximately.


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## Shirlaine

Thank you for your answer Forero. The difference still seems very subtle to me. The  "I love hearing" version seems to emphasize a bit more on the pleasure I have when I hear from my friend, though.
Should I understand that both versions are correct ?


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## Forero

Shirlaine said:


> Should I understand that both versions are correct ?


Yes.


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