Master Gerunds and Infinitives in Professional Emails

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: To use gerunds (-ing forms) and infinitives (to + verb) correctly in professional English emails, look at the main verb that comes before them. Verbs like 'enjoy' or 'consider' always take a gerund, while verbs like 'want' or 'decide' always take an infinitive.↗ Share on X

Writing professional emails in a second language brings a lot of pressure. You type a message, read it three times, and still wonder if saying "I look forward to meet you" or "I look forward to meeting you" sounds right. That single choice—choosing between a gerund and an infinitive—can make your message sound natural or mark you as an outsider who struggles with English grammar rules. If you want to improve English and fix common english mistakes that frustrate non-native speakers every single day, you need a clear, reliable system for business correspondence.

Why Do Gerunds and Infinitives Confuse Professionals?

READ ALSOGerunds vs Infinitives: Simple Rules for Daily English →How to Use Much and Many Without Common Mistakes →Common Article Mistakes English Beginners Make and How to Fix Them →

Grammar terms sound intimidating, but the concepts are straightforward once you strip away the heavy textbook language. A gerund is simply a verb form ending in -ing that acts like a noun. For example, in the sentence "Writing emails takes time," the word "writing" is the subject. An infinitive is the word "to" plus the base form of a verb, such as "to send" or "to review."

The confusion in professional emails happens because English verbs do not follow a single pattern. When you put two verbs together—like wanting and sending, or enjoying and reading—the first verb dictates the form of the second verb. There is no logical reason why you must say "I want to reply" instead of "I want replying." You simply have to know which verbs demand an infinitive and which verbs demand a gerund.

For English for beginners and intermediate professionals alike, making mistakes with these forms can subtly change the tone of a message. Using the wrong form does not usually stop communication completely, but it can make your emails feel slightly awkward or unpolished to clients and managers.

The Golden Rule for Email Verbs: Memorize the Triggers

To write flawless professional emails, you must stop translating directly from your native language. Instead, memorize the specific trigger verbs that appear most often in workplace communication.

Let us break down the verbs you will use in ninety percent of your business messages.

Verbs That Always Take a Gerund (-ing)

When these verbs are followed by another action in your email, that second action must end in -ing.

• Appreciate: "I appreciate your helping me with this project."
• Consider: "We are considering moving the meeting to Friday."
• Discuss: "Let us discuss rescheduling the call."
• Enjoy: "I enjoy working with your team."
• Finish: "I will finish reviewing the report by noon."
• Mind: "Would you mind sending the file again?"
• Recommend: "I recommend updating the software today."

Notice how these verbs often relate to ongoing actions, thinking processes, or finishing tasks. If you are writing an email about a project that is currently in motion, you will likely reach for one of these words.

Verbs That Always Take an Infinitive (to + verb)

Other common workplace verbs always require "to" before the next action. If you use these, do not add -ing.

• Agree: "We agreed to sign the contract tomorrow."
• Decide: "Management decided to postpone the launch."
• Expect: "We expect to receive the shipment by Friday."
• Need: "I need to speak with you about the budget."
• Offer: "She offered to help with the presentation.
• Plan: "We plan to hire three new developers."
• Refuse: "They refused to accept the revised terms."
• Want: "I want to confirm the meeting time."

When you look at your daily sent folder, you will probably spot at least five sentences that rely on "need to" or "want to." Mastering this second list instantly eliminates a massive percentage of everyday writing errors.

Quick Reference Table for Business Emails

READ ALSOHow to Avoid Confusing “Will” and “Going to” When Talking About the Future →Improve Your English Writing on Your Own: Simple Steps That Work →How to Use Conditionals in Daily English Without Mistakes →

The Dangerous Trap: Verbs That Take Both (With Different Meanings)

Some verbs are tricky because they accept both gerunds and infinitives, but the meaning changes completely depending on which one you choose. If you mix these up in a professional email, you can easily cause a major misunderstanding with your boss or a client.

1. Stop

• Stop + Gerund: You quit doing an activity permanently or temporarily.

* *Email example:* "We stopped outsourcing our customer service last year."

• Stop + Infinitive: You pause what you are doing in order to do something else.

* *Email example:* "I stopped to check my inbox before joining the call."

If you write "I stopped to write emails," it means you paused a different task to start writing. If you write "I stopped writing emails," it means you finished or quit writing them entirely. That is a massive difference in a workplace setting.

2. Remember

• Remember + Gerund: You have a memory of something that happened in the past.

* *Email example:* "I remember meeting you at the conference last fall."

• Remember + Infinitive: You do not forget to perform a future task.

* *Email example:* "Please remember to attach the PDF before sending the invoice."

In emails requesting actions, you will use "remember to" constantly. Reminding a colleague to do something requires the infinitive.

3. Regret

• Regret + Gerund: You are sorry about something you did in the past.

* *Email example:* "I regret missing the team meeting yesterday."

• Regret + Infinitive: You are about to deliver bad news.

* *Email example:* "We regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful."

That last phrase is a standard template for human resources and customer service teams. Using the infinitive makes the formal announcement sound correct.

The Tricky Case of Prepositions: "Look Forward To"

One of the most common mistakes in business English happens right at the bottom of the email, right before the sign-off. Professionals constantly write phrases like:

• *Incorrect:* "I look forward to hear from you."
• *Incorrect:* "I look forward to see you at the conference."

Why do people make this mistake? Because they see the word "to" and assume it is part of an infinitive verb. They think "to hear" must be correct.

However, in this specific phrase, the word "to" is a preposition, not part of an infinitive marker. In English grammar, prepositions must always be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing).

Therefore, the only correct way to write this closing line is:

• *Correct:* "I look forward to hearing from you."
• *Correct:* "I look forward to seeing you at the conference."

If you change nothing else about your emails after reading this guide, fix your closing sign-off. Getting this phrase right instantly projects high competence and attention to detail.

A Simple 3-Step Editing Checklist for Your Next Email

Do not try to memorize every single grammar rule while you are typing a message from scratch. That slows down your workflow and causes stress. Instead, write your email normally, and then run it through this quick three-step editing process before you click send.

1. Scan for double verbs: Look for sentences where two action verbs sit right next to each other, or are separated only by a pronoun. Highlight them.

2. Check the first verb: Look at the main verb driving the sentence. Is it on the gerund list (like *enjoy*, *consider*, *finish*) or the infinitive list (like *want*, *need*, *decide*)?

3. Check your sign-offs: Look specifically at your closing lines. If you use phrases containing "to" as a preposition—such as "look forward to" or "committed to"—ensure the following action ends in -ing.

By building this quick routine into your daily workflow, you will catch errors before they leave your outbox. Clean emails build trust, prevent miscommunication, and show that you respect the time of the people reading your messages.

FAQ

Why do some verbs take gerunds and others take infinitives?

There is no logical rule for this in English; it is simply a structural pattern governed by the main verb. You must memorize which trigger verbs require an -ing form and which require 'to' plus the base verb.

Is 'I look forward to hear from you' grammatically correct?

No. The word 'to' in 'look forward to' is a preposition, which means it must be followed by a gerund. The correct form is 'I look forward to hearing from you.'

How can I stop making these mistakes when writing fast emails?

Write your email freely first, then do a quick review step. Check every instance where two verbs are connected, and verify that your closing lines use gerunds after prepositions.