Blog about English
Perfect infinitives, passive infinitives, perfect gerunds and passive gerunds.
Practice: build the sentences →Infinitives and gerunds can have perfect, continuous, passive, and combined perfect-passive forms.
These forms allow speakers to express time relationships, ongoing activity, and the fact that the subject receives rather than performs an action.
She seems to have forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
Perfect infinitive: to have + past participle.
The report needs to be completed.
Отчёт нужно завершить.
Passive infinitive: to be + past participle.
He denied having been informed.
Он отрицал, что был проинформирован.
Perfect passive gerund: having been + past participle.
The perfect infinitive is formed with to have followed by a past participle.
It normally refers to an action or state that occurred before the time of the main verb.
She seems to have forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
To have + past participle.
He appears to have left.
Кажется, он ушёл.
Perfect infinitive after "appear".
Use the perfect infinitive when the infinitive action happened before the main verb or reference point.
For example, She seems to have forgotten the appointment.
She seems to have forgotten the appointment.
Кажется, она забыла о встрече.
Earlier action than main verb.
He appears to have missed the train.
Кажется, он опоздал на поезд.
Perfect infinitive for earlier action.
Reporting and perception expressions can use the perfect infinitive to report an earlier event.
For example, He is believed to have left the country and She appears to have misunderstood the question.
He is believed to have left the country.
Считается, что он покинул страну.
Reporting verb + perfect infinitive.
She appears to have misunderstood the question.
Кажется, она неправильно поняла вопрос.
Perfect infinitive in reporting.
Seem and appear can be followed by a perfect infinitive to describe an earlier event or state.
For example, She seems to have forgotten and They appear to have reached an agreement.
She seems to have forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
Seem + perfect infinitive.
They appear to have reached an agreement.
Кажется, они достигли соглашения.
Appear + perfect infinitive.
Modal verbs can combine with the perfect infinitive to express possibility, deduction, regret, or unrealized situations in the past.
For example, He may have forgotten, She must have left, and They should have arrived earlier.
He may have forgotten.
Он, возможно, забыл.
Modal + perfect infinitive for past possibility.
She must have left.
Она, должно быть, ушла.
Deduction about past.
They should have arrived earlier.
Им следовало приехать раньше.
Criticism about past.
The continuous infinitive is formed with to be followed by an -ing form.
It presents an activity as being in progress around the relevant reference time.
She seems to be working.
Кажется, она работает (сейчас).
Continuous infinitive: to be + -ing.
He appears to be sleeping.
Кажется, он спит.
To be sleeping.
The perfect continuous infinitive is formed with to have been followed by an -ing form.
It describes an activity that was continuing before the reference point of the main verb.
He seems to have been working all night.
Кажется, он работал всю ночь.
Perfect continuous infinitive: to have been + -ing.
She appears to have been crying.
Кажется, она плакала.
To have been crying.
The perfect continuous infinitive is especially useful when the duration or ongoing nature of an earlier activity is important.
For example, He seems to have been working all night.
He seems to have been working all night.
Кажется, он работал всю ночь.
Emphasizes duration of earlier activity.
They appear to have been waiting for hours.
Кажется, они ждали несколько часов.
Duration emphasized.
The passive infinitive is formed with to be followed by a past participle.
It describes an action that the subject of the infinitive receives.
The report needs to be completed.
Отчёт нужно завершить.
Passive infinitive: to be + past participle.
She expects to be invited.
Она ожидает, что её пригласят.
To be invited.
Verbs that take a to-infinitive can be followed by a passive infinitive when the subject receives the action.
For example, She expects to be invited and He wants to be informed.
She expects to be invited.
Она ожидает, что её пригласят.
Expect + passive infinitive.
He wants to be informed.
Он хочет, чтобы его проинформировали.
Want + passive infinitive.
Adjectives can be followed by passive infinitives when the subject is the receiver of the action.
For example, The documents are ready to be signed and This form is difficult to complete.
The documents are ready to be signed.
Документы готовы к подписанию.
Adjective + passive infinitive.
This form is difficult to complete.
Эту форму сложно заполнить.
Adjective + passive infinitive.
The perfect passive infinitive is formed with to have been followed by a past participle.
It describes a passive action that happened before the main verb or reference point.
He is believed to have been injured.
Считается, что он был ранен.
Perfect passive infinitive: to have been + past participle.
She is thought to have been informed.
Считается, что её проинформировали.
To have been informed.
Reporting constructions use the perfect passive infinitive to refer to an earlier passive event.
For example, He is believed to have been injured and She is thought to have been informed.
He is believed to have been injured.
Считается, что он был ранен.
Reporting + perfect passive infinitive.
She is thought to have been informed.
Считается, что её проинформировали.
Reporting structure.
Modal verbs can combine with the perfect passive infinitive to express past possibility, deduction, criticism, or expectation concerning a passive event.
For example, The documents may have been lost and The work should have been completed earlier.
The documents may have been lost.
Документы, возможно, были потеряны.
Modal + perfect passive infinitive.
The work should have been completed earlier.
Работу следовало завершить раньше.
Past criticism with perfect passive.
The perfect gerund is formed with having followed by a past participle.
It emphasizes that the gerund action happened before the action or state in the main clause.
She denied having seen him before.
Она отрицала, что видела его раньше.
Perfect gerund: having + past participle.
He admitted having made a mistake.
Он признал, что совершил ошибку.
Perfect gerund.
Use the perfect gerund when the earlier timing of the gerund action is relevant or needs to be made explicit.
For example, She denied having seen him before.
She denied having seen him before.
Она отрицала, что видела его раньше.
Earlier timing of gerund action.
He regretted having said that.
Он сожалел, что сказал это.
Perfect gerund for earlier action.
A perfect gerund can follow a preposition when the earlier action needs to be emphasized.
For example, He apologized for having arrived late.
He apologized for having arrived late.
Он извинился за то, что пришёл поздно.
Perfect gerund after preposition.
She was upset about having been forgotten.
Она была расстроена тем, что её забыли.
Perfect passive gerund after preposition.
The passive gerund is formed with being followed by a past participle.
It describes an action received by the understood subject of the gerund phrase.
She dislikes being ignored.
Она не любит, когда её игнорируют.
Passive gerund: being + past participle.
He remembers being warned.
Он помнит, как его предупреждали.
Being warned.
Verbs that take gerunds can be followed by passive gerunds when the subject receives the action.
For example, She dislikes being ignored and He remembers being warned.
She dislikes being ignored.
Она не любит, когда её игнорируют.
Dislike + passive gerund.
He remembers being warned.
Он помнит, как его предупреждали.
Remember + passive gerund.
A passive gerund normally follows a preposition when the action after the preposition is passive.
For example, She left without being seen and He was criticized for being careless.
She left without being seen.
Она ушла незамеченной.
Without + passive gerund.
He was criticized for being careless.
Его критиковали за неосторожность.
For + passive gerund.
The perfect passive gerund is formed with having been followed by a past participle.
It describes a passive action that happened before the main event or reference point.
He denied having been informed about the change.
Он отрицал, что был проинформирован об изменении.
Perfect passive gerund: having been + past participle.
She resented having been ignored.
Она была возмущена тем, что её игнорировали.
Having been ignored.
Use the perfect passive gerund when a previous passive action needs to be clearly distinguished from the main event.
For example, He denied having been informed about the change.
He denied having been informed about the change.
Он отрицал, что был проинформирован об изменении.
Earlier passive action.
She apologized for having been treated unfairly.
Она извинилась за то, что с ней несправедливо обошлись.
Perfect passive gerund.
Simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous forms allow the speaker to establish different relationships between the non-finite action and the main verb.
The key distinction is whether the action is simultaneous, earlier, ongoing, or completed before the reference point.
She seems to be tired.
Кажется, она устала.
Simple infinitive: simultaneous.
She seems to have been tired after the journey.
Кажется, она была уставшей после поездки.
Perfect infinitive: earlier.
He regrets leaving.
Он сожалеет, что ушёл.
Simple gerund: simultaneous/general.
He regrets having left early.
Он сожалеет, что ушёл рано.
Perfect gerund: earlier action.
The simple infinitive normally refers to an action occurring at or after the reference point, while the perfect infinitive normally refers to an earlier action.
Compare She seems to be tired with She seems to have been tired after the journey.
She seems to be tired.
Кажется, она устала.
Simple infinitive.
She seems to have been tired after the journey.
Кажется, она была уставшей после поездки.
Perfect infinitive refers to earlier time.
The simple gerund normally refers to an action that is simultaneous with or viewed generally from the main clause, while the perfect gerund emphasizes an earlier action.
Compare He regrets leaving with He regrets having left early.
He regrets leaving.
Он сожалеет, что ушёл.
Simple gerund.
He regrets having left early.
Он сожалеет, что ушёл рано.
Perfect gerund emphasizes earlier action.
Choose an active or passive infinitive or gerund according to whether the understood subject performs or receives the action.
Compare She expects to win with She expects to be invited, and He remembers telling her with He remembers being told.
She expects to win.
Она ожидает победы.
Active infinitive: subject performs.
She expects to be invited.
Она ожидает, что её пригласят.
Passive infinitive: subject receives.
He remembers telling her.
Он помнит, как рассказал ей.
Active gerund.
He remembers being told.
Он помнит, как ему говорили.
Passive gerund.
Perfect and passive meanings can combine when a non-finite action is both earlier and received by its subject.
Compare to have completed, to be completed, and to have been completed.
She seems to have completed the task.
Кажется, она выполнила задание.
Perfect infinitive: earlier active.
The task seems to be completed.
Задание, кажется, выполнено.
Passive infinitive: received action.
The task seems to have been completed.
Задание, кажется, было выполнено.
Perfect passive infinitive.
Complex infinitive and gerund forms are particularly common in formal, academic, professional, and literary English.
Simpler constructions are often preferred in everyday speech when the more complex time or voice relationship is not important.
He is believed to have been informed earlier.
Считается, что его проинформировали ранее.
Formal/academic: perfect passive infinitive.
She seems to have forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
Formal written style.
He probably forgot.
Он, вероятно, забыл.
Simpler everyday alternative.
Use the correct combination of infinitive or gerund, perfect or simple form, and active or passive voice.
Common mistakes include confusing to have done with to be doing, using been incorrectly in passive forms, confusing having done with being done, and omitting required auxiliary verbs.
She seems to have forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
Correct: perfect infinitive.
She seems to has forgotten.
Кажется, она забыла.
Incorrect: use "have" after "to".
He denied being seen him.
Он отрицал, что его видели.
Incorrect: confused passive and active forms.
He denied having been seen him.
Он отрицал, что его видели.
Incorrect: extra object after passive.
The report needs to completed.
Отчёт нужно завершить.
Incorrect: missing "be".