Your child uses infinitives every day without thinking. "I want to play." "She needs to sleep." "We went to see a movie." These are infinitives. They are the to form of verbs. Infinitives are everywhere in English. They express purpose, follow certain verbs, and complete many common sentence patterns. Mastering the top 100 infinitives for elementary students helps children use these important forms naturally and correctly. This guide will explain what infinitives are, list the most important examples, and show how to practice at home.
Meaning: What Are Infinitives? An infinitive is the base form of a verb with the word to in front of it. To run, to eat, to play, to be, to have are all infinitives. The infinitive is not acting as a verb in the sentence. It acts as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Think about these sentences. "I want to play." The infinitive to play tells what I want. "She needs to sleep." The infinitive to sleep tells what she needs. "We went to the store to buy milk." The infinitive to buy tells why we went.
Infinitives are different from regular verbs. They do not change form for different subjects. We say "I want to go" and "she wants to go." The infinitive to go stays the same even though wants changes.
The top 100 infinitives for elementary children cover all the common patterns children need.
Conjugation: How Infinitives Work Infinitives have special grammar rules. They do not follow the same patterns as main verbs. Understanding these rules helps children use infinitives correctly.
Infinitives are always to plus the base form of the verb. To be, to have, to do, to go, to see, to eat. There is no added -s for he or she. No -ed for past. No -ing. The form stays the same.
Some verbs are followed directly by infinitives. Common ones include want, need, like, love, hate, hope, plan, try, decide, learn, promise, and forget. "I want to eat." "She hopes to win." "They plan to travel."
Some verbs are followed by a person and then an infinitive. Common ones include tell, ask, want, need, help, teach, and remind. "I told him to go." "She asked me to help." "They taught us to read."
Infinitives can be negative. Put not before the infinitive. "I decided not to go." "She told me not to worry." "We chose not to wait."
The top 100 infinitives for elementary students include practice with all these patterns.
Categories or Lists: The Top 100 Infinitives Here are the top 100 infinitives for elementary students, grouped by the verbs they follow. These are the patterns children use and encounter most often.
Infinitives After Want (15): to go, to come, to play, to eat, to drink, to sleep, to see, to watch, to read, to write, to draw, to sing, to dance, to run, to jump. "I want to go to the park." "She wants to eat pizza." "They want to play outside."
Infinitives After Need (15): to rest, to study, to help, to clean, to finish, to start, to leave, to arrive, to buy, to get, to make, to do, to say, to ask, to find. "I need to rest after school." "She needs to study for the test." "We need to leave soon."
Infinitives After Like/Love/Hate (15): to swim, to skate, to bike, to hike, to camp, to fish, to paint, to cook, to bake, to build, to fix, to solve, to explore, to discover, to create. "I like to swim in the pool." "She loves to sing." "He hates to wait."
Infinitives After Hope/Plan (10): to visit, to travel, to become, to learn, to meet, to see, to go, to come, to try, to win. "I hope to visit Grandma." "She plans to become a doctor." "They hope to win the game."
Infinitives After Try/Decide (10): to do, to make, to fix, to solve, to open, to close, to turn, to push, to pull, to lift. "I will try to do my best." "She decided to make a cake." "He tried to open the jar."
Infinitives After Tell/Ask (With Person) (15): to go, to come, to stay, to wait, to help, to listen, to look, to sit, to stand, to speak, to be quiet, to be careful, to hurry, to slow down, to stop. "I told him to go home." "She asked me to help." "Mom told us to be quiet."
Infinitives After Want/Need (With Person) (10): to help, to come, to go, to stay, to wait, to see, to talk, to play, to work, to study. "I want you to help me." "She needs him to come." "They want us to play with them."
Infinitives of Purpose (10): to buy, to see, to find, to get, to meet, to watch, to hear, to learn, to ask, to show. "I went to the store to buy milk." "She came to see me." "We studied to learn new things."
The top 100 infinitives for elementary students include these essential patterns. Children will use them every day.
Daily Life Examples: Infinitives All Around Us Infinitives appear in almost every conversation. They express wants, needs, purposes, and more. Pointing them out helps children see that these to forms are part of real language.
In morning routines, we use infinitives. "I want to sleep longer." "I need to get dressed." "I have to catch the bus." "I like to eat cereal." "I hope to be on time." Each infinitive expresses a want, need, or preference.
During meals, infinitives appear. "I want to have pizza." "She needs to drink water." "We like to eat together." "I try to eat healthy." "He asked me to pass the salt." Infinitives follow many common verbs.
In car rides, we use infinitives. "We need to go home." "I want to see that movie." "She hopes to arrive soon." "He told me to buckle up." "They plan to visit us." Infinitives express intentions.
At school, infinitives fill every subject. "I need to study." "She wants to learn." "We have to read this book." "The teacher told us to listen." "I forgot to do my homework." Infinitives are essential.
In conversations about plans, infinitives are everywhere. "I want to go to the park." "We plan to have a party." "She hopes to come." "They decided to stay home." "I need to ask my mom." Infinitives express future intentions.
The top 100 infinitives for elementary students help children notice and use these patterns.
Printable Flashcards: Visual Tools for Learning Flashcards make infinitives concrete. Creating and using them together turns learning into an activity. Here are some ways to use flashcards for infinitive practice.
Create cards with infinitives on one side and example sentences on the other. "to play" on front. "I want to play." on back. "to eat" on front. "She needs to eat." on back. "to go" on front. "We plan to go." on back. Your child reads the infinitive and sees it in a sentence.
Create verb cards showing common verbs that are followed by infinitives. "want" "need" "like" "love" "hate" "hope" "plan" "try" "decide" "learn" "promise" "forget." Practice making sentences with each one plus an infinitive.
Create sentence cards with the infinitive missing. "I want ___." (to play) "She needs ___." (to eat) "We plan ___." (to go) "He hopes ___." (to win) Your child fills in the correct infinitive.
Create purpose cards that answer "why" questions. "Why did you go to the store?" "To buy milk." "Why is she studying?" "To pass the test." Practice asking and answering with infinitives of purpose.
Learning Activities or Games: Making Infinitives Fun Games turn grammar into play. Here are some games that help children practice the top 100 infinitives for elementary students in enjoyable ways.
I Want Game: Practice want + infinitive. Take turns saying things you want to do. "I want to eat pizza." "I want to watch a movie." "I want to visit Grandma." See how many you can think of.
I Need Game: Practice need + infinitive. Talk about things you need to do. "I need to brush my teeth." "I need to finish my homework." "I need to feed the cat." This connects grammar to daily responsibilities.
Purpose Game: Practice infinitives of purpose. Ask "Why did you do that?" and have your child answer with an infinitive. "Why did you go to the kitchen?" "To get a snack." "Why did you open the book?" "To read." "Why did you call Grandma?" "To say happy birthday."
Infinitive Bingo: Create bingo cards with infinitives in each square. Call out sentences with the main verb. "want" + Your child covers an infinitive like "to play." "need" + Your child covers an infinitive like "to eat." First to get five in a row wins.
Tell Me To Game: Practice infinitives after tell. Give each other commands using tell. "Tell me to sit down." The other person says "Sit down." Then "Tell me to stand up." "Stand up." This shows how tell introduces an infinitive.
Story Building with Infinitives: Build a story together where each person adds a sentence with an infinitive. "The girl wanted to find a treasure." "She needed to solve the riddle." "She hoped to discover gold." "She decided to explore the cave." "She found a map to guide her." The story grows while infinitive practice happens.
Infinitive Hunt: Read a book together and search for infinitives. Each time you find to followed by a verb, stop and notice it. Talk about what pattern it follows. Is it after want? Need? Expressing purpose?
Learning to Do Game: Practice learn + infinitive. Talk about things you have learned to do. "I learned to ride a bike." "She learned to swim." "He learned to read." "We learned to cook." This builds positive language about accomplishments.
As your child becomes familiar with the top 100 infinitives for elementary students, their English becomes more natural and complete. They can express wants and needs clearly. They can explain purposes and reasons. They can follow complex sentence patterns. Infinitives are everywhere in English, and mastering them helps children understand and produce sophisticated language. Keep practice connected to real conversations and activities. Point out infinitives when you use them. Celebrate when your child uses an infinitive in a new way. These to forms open up endless possibilities for expression.