ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the uses of the non-finite forms of the verb, i.e. the infinitive, the present participle and the past participle. As infinitives are non-finite forms of the verb, they do not have endings in agreement with a subject, but when they are used in a clause they do have a subject, which is the person or thing mentioned in the preceding clause that is carrying out the action expressed by the infinitive. In practice, fewer verbs in German allow an object to be taken as the subject of a following infinitive. In particular, it is not possible with most verbs of wishing, desiring, saying, knowing, thinking and the like. Some verbs have a closer link with a following infinitive clause than others. Their main role is to modify the meaning of the verb used in the infinitive in some way, rather like a modal auxiliary verb, and it is useful to think of them as ‘semi—auxiliary’ verbs.
