El infinitivo después de verbo o verbo + objeto

[A] Los verbos más importantes que pueden usarse de cualquiera de las dos formas son ask, beg, expect, would hate, help, intend, like (= think wise or right), would like (= enjoy), would love, mean, prefer, want, wish: 

• He likes to eat well.
• He likes his staff to eat well.
• I want to ride. I want you to ride too. 

[B] ask y beg

ask + infinitivo tiene un significado diferente de ask + objeto + infinitivo:

• I asked to speak to Mrs Jones = I said, «Could I speak to Mrs Jones?»
• I asked Bill to speak to her = I said, «Bill, would you speak to her?» 

Con beg se da una diferencia parecida, aunque beg no suele ir seguido inmediatamente de infinitivo:

• I begged (to be allowed) to go = I said, «Please let me go.»
• I begged him to go = I said, «Please go.»

ask y beg pueden ir seguidos de that … should. 

[C] expect + infinitivo y expect + objeto + infinitivo pueden tener el mismo significado:

• I expect to arrive tomorrow = I think it is likely that I will arrive tomorrow.
• I expect him to arrive tomorrow = I think it is likely that he will arrive tomorrow.

Pero muy a menudo expect + objeto + infinitivo transmite la idea de deber:

• He expects his wife to bring him breakfast in bed at weekends. (Piensa que es su deber hacerlo.) 

expect puede también ir seguido de that + sujeto + verbo. Aquí no hay idea de deber.

[D] Para ejemplos de care, hate, like, love y prefer usados con infinitivos o gerundios, ver más adelante.

intend, mean, want pueden también ir seguidos de gerundios.