Both are absolutely correct but what is the actual assignment? Gerunds function as nouns. So “I like playing soccer” can be understood as “i like the act of playing soccer” where ‘the act of playing soccer’ is the noun. Does the assignment hinge upon using a verb vs a noun?
Both are correct. The gerund form “I like playing soccer” implies immediacy in a way that “I like to play soccer” doesn’t, which might make it more awkward to say when you’re not actively playing soccer. But that’s a shade of meaning, not a grammar issue.
I’d wager that “I like to play soccer” is correct, however; it’s slightly less ambiguous, and more direct to the Spanish.
That’s my sense, too: “I like to play soccer” means it’s something I’m generally in favor of, while “I like playing soccer” is more that I viscerally enjoy the experience of doing it.
One is an infinitive - I like to play and the other I like playing is the gerund. Both are correct
The gerund is more common in British English ( the original language!) and the infinitive in US English. As you are using the word ‘soccer’ and not football then use the infinitive😉
* aren't THEY (although "them" can be used informally as a subject pronoun in some dialects/registers, I know of nowhere where "aren't them" is idiomatic)
UK native here, vintage 1974. I cannot speak for all dialects in all places at all times...
Both the gerund and the infinitive are noun forms. They can both be used as the subject of verbs and the complement of verbs of being.
Infinitives are more prospective and generally follow verbs like want/desire/seek/hope, making them behave like modal verbs but with the addition of "to".
Gerunds are more concrete. Most verbs only take a gerund as an object. "I abhor skiing; you favour running; she practises swimming; we fear drowning."
A few constructions can take either form:
I like/love/hate/prefer/try/start/begin/plan speaking/to speak.
You can also learn to write and you can learn writing, where 'writing' exists as a concrete skill or subject that can be taught; idiomatically, you wouldn't learn speaking because it doesn't generally exist as a subject on its own, neither would you say "I learnt writing French". You can learn 'horse riding', which functions as single concept/skill. "I learnt to distinguish borrowing from stealing."
Can you provide an example of the actual exercise question?
Both are absolutely correct but what is the actual assignment? Gerunds function as nouns. So “I like playing soccer” can be understood as “i like the act of playing soccer” where ‘the act of playing soccer’ is the noun. Does the assignment hinge upon using a verb vs a noun?
"Like" is one of the few verbs that can equally be followed by an infinitive or a gerund. Most verbs can only go with one or the other.
Both are correct. The gerund form “I like playing soccer” implies immediacy in a way that “I like to play soccer” doesn’t, which might make it more awkward to say when you’re not actively playing soccer. But that’s a shade of meaning, not a grammar issue. I’d wager that “I like to play soccer” is correct, however; it’s slightly less ambiguous, and more direct to the Spanish.
That’s my sense, too: “I like to play soccer” means it’s something I’m generally in favor of, while “I like playing soccer” is more that I viscerally enjoy the experience of doing it.
One is an infinitive - I like to play and the other I like playing is the gerund. Both are correct The gerund is more common in British English ( the original language!) and the infinitive in US English. As you are using the word ‘soccer’ and not football then use the infinitive😉
* aren't THEY (although "them" can be used informally as a subject pronoun in some dialects/registers, I know of nowhere where "aren't them" is idiomatic)
UK native here, vintage 1974. I cannot speak for all dialects in all places at all times... Both the gerund and the infinitive are noun forms. They can both be used as the subject of verbs and the complement of verbs of being. Infinitives are more prospective and generally follow verbs like want/desire/seek/hope, making them behave like modal verbs but with the addition of "to". Gerunds are more concrete. Most verbs only take a gerund as an object. "I abhor skiing; you favour running; she practises swimming; we fear drowning." A few constructions can take either form: I like/love/hate/prefer/try/start/begin/plan speaking/to speak. You can also learn to write and you can learn writing, where 'writing' exists as a concrete skill or subject that can be taught; idiomatically, you wouldn't learn speaking because it doesn't generally exist as a subject on its own, neither would you say "I learnt writing French". You can learn 'horse riding', which functions as single concept/skill. "I learnt to distinguish borrowing from stealing."