In English grammar, every sentence needs a subject. Usually, the subject is a standard noun or pronoun (e.g., "Coffee is hot"). However, when we want to talk about an action or an activity as the main topic of our sentence, we must transform that action verb into a noun. We can do this using either a Gerund or an Infinitive.
Think of this structure as changing an action into a concept. Look at how standard actions change when they sit at the front of a sentence:
| Form | How it Looks | Example as Subject |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | Verb + -ing | Learning a new language takes time. |
| Infinitive | To + Verb | To learn a new language takes time. |
Using a gerund (the -ing form) as a subject is the most natural, frequent, and common choice in daily conversational and professional English.
Even if the object following the gerund is plural, the gerund action itself is always considered a singular subject. Therefore, it always takes a singular verb form.
While you can place an infinitive (to + verb) at the very beginning of a sentence, it sounds completely different to native speakers. It feels highly formal, poetic, or academic.
Note: If you use this structure in casual daily conversation, it can sound a bit old-fashioned or unnatural.
Because starting a sentence with a heavy infinitive phrase can feel awkward, native English speakers almost always shift the infinitive to the very end of the sentence. To fill the empty subject slot at the front, we use the placeholder word "It".
This is one of the most practical and frequent sentence patterns to master for daily conversation:
Pattern: It + is + adjective + [To + Verb]