Finite and Non-finite Verbs in English

We’re going to talk about two kinds of verbs: finite and non-finite verbs. They each perform a different function in nature. Finite verbs follow the grammatical rules. They completely agree with the subject and talk about tense, number, and person. , Non-finite verbs do not show an agreement with the subject and are used in present participle, past participle, and infinitive forms to do various functions in a sentence. To get a better understanding, of what they are and how they are used in sentences, Let’s learn more about them.

Finite and Non-finite Verbs

Finite and Non-finite Verbs:

What is the finite verb?

A finite verb is a verb that has a subject and used to indicate tense, person, and sometimes number. It generally used to carry the main meaning of the verb in a sentence and is conjugated to match the subject of the sentence. finite verbs also change their forms in the following situations: Whether the action is happening in the past, present, or future.
For Examples.

I walk (present tense, first person singular)
She walks (present tense, third person singular)
They walked (past tense, third person plural

What is the Non-finite verb?

A non-finite verb is a verb that doesn’t show any tense when an action happens, like, past, present, or future. It doesn’t have the followings things at the end of the verb : ing, E, or, S’ Instead, it’s the base form of the verb. We often use non-finite verbs with other words to give more information about an action. For example, in I like to swim–> to swim is a non-finite verb. It doesn’t tell when the swimming happens, but it still shows an action.

Differences Between Finite and Non-finite Verb

Finite Verbs:

Time Indicator:
Finite verbs are used to tell us when an action happens—whether it’s in the past, present, or future.
For example, in She runs every morning, –> runs shows it’s happening now.
Person and Number:
They also give us hints about who is doing the action and how many people are involved in doing the action.
Example:
They have completed the assignment, –> have, tells us the number of people preforming the action.
Match with Subject:
It is required for Finite verbs to match the person and number of the subject in a sentence.
Example:
He is my friend –> is here is a different from They are my friends.

Non-finite Verbs:

No Time Clue:
Non-finite verbs are not supposed to tell us when something is happening.
Example:
I want to travel the world,–> to travel here doesn’t tell the specific time of action.
No Person or Number:
They don’t give any details about who is doing the action or how many people are involved in the action.
Example:
She enjoys reading novels. Here, the subject she is not specified, does not tell who really enjoys.
No Need to Match:
finite verbs are different from non-finite verbs, because non-finite verbs are not supposed to agree to the subject.
Example:
She plans to dance. Here the verb doesn’t change even if the subject is different.

Examples of finite and Nonfinite verbs

Finite verbs:

She sings beautifully.
We were waiting for hours.
They ate dinner together.
He writes novels in his free time.
The dog barks loudly at night.

Nonfinite verbs:

She enjoys swimming in the ocean.
They plan to travel around the world.
He loves playing the guitar.
She decided to study abroad.
They watched the birds flying overhead.

Finite and Nonfinite Verb Forms

Finite verb forms:

Present tense: She walks to school every day.
Present continuous tense: They are reading a book together.
Present perfect tense: He has completed his homework.
Past tense: The birds were chirping loudly.
Future tense: I will call you later.

Nonfinite verb forms:

Infinitive: She likes to dance in the rain.
Gerund: They enjoy eating at fancy restaurants.
Infinitive: He wanted to go on an adventure.
Infinitive: She tried to bake a cake for the first time.
Gerund: They heard him singing in the shower.

Gerunds:

A gerund is a word that is like a verb but it functions like a noun. It’s made by adding -ing to the base form of a verb. Gerunds are used to talk about actions as things or activities. For example, in the sentence – Swimming is fun.
–>swimming is a gerund because it’s tells about an activity.

Gerund Examples: