The activity as a thing
Put an article in front of an infinitive and it becomes a noun: the infinito sostantivato. It is masculine and singular. It doesn't name a single event but the activity itself, the way it's done and how long it goes on.
Blueprint
Il mangiare, il bere e il viaggiare sono i miei piaceri.
Eating, drinking and travelling are my pleasures.
L'aspettare è la parte peggiore.
The waiting is the worst part.
Three ways to talk about travelling
The bare infinitive is the neutral choice. The derived noun refers to a concrete event. The infinitive with an article puts the activity in the spotlight as a process and sounds more elevated.
Viaggiare, il viaggio, il viaggiare
| Sentence | Effect |
|---|---|
| Viaggiare mi rilassa. | Neutral, everyday speech. |
| Il viaggio mi ha rilassato. | One particular trip. |
| Il viaggiare lento mi rilassa. | A way of travelling, seen as a process. |
Where English uses an -ing form as a noun (travelling, waiting), Italian uses the infinitive, with or without an article. The Italian gerundio ending in -ndo does not work as a noun.
Noun and verb at once
Adjectives and possessives
As a noun, the infinitive takes adjectives and possessives. Then the article is required. This is a compact way to pass judgement on a habit.
Il suo continuo lamentarsi mi stanca.
His constant complaining wears me out.
Ci godiamo il dolce far niente.
We're enjoying the sweet art of doing nothing.
Object, adverb, pronoun
As a verb, it keeps its complements: a direct object, an adverb, an attached pronoun. The past infinitive works too.
Questo continuo controllare le email non aiuta.
All this constant checking of emails doesn't help.
L'aver detto la verità gli è costato il posto.
Telling the truth cost him his job.
With a preposition
nel + infinitive means "while" or "on doing". There are also fixed, mostly written phrases with col and al.
Nel leggere la lettera si è commossa.
She was moved as she read the letter.
Col passare degli anni è diventato più tranquillo.
Over the years he has grown calmer.
Siamo rientrati al calar del sole.
We got back at sunset.
Infinitives that became nouns
Some infinitives are fixed nouns with their own meaning and a plural: il piacere, il dovere, il potere, il parere. The others usually have no plural.
Conosco bene i miei doveri.
I know my duties well.
Su questo punto i pareri sono divisi.
Opinions are divided on this point.
