Like, love and hate + -ing
I like cooking, she hates waiting, we don't mind walking: talk about what you like doing.
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To talk about activities that we like or don't like, we use a verb like like, love, hate, enjoy or don't mind, and then a second verb with -ing: I like cooking. The -ing form here works like a noun: it is the name of the activity.
From love to hate
Verb | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
love | like very much | I love travelling. |
like | think it is nice | She likes reading. |
enjoy | have a good time doing it | We enjoy cooking together. |
don't mind | it's OK, not a problem | I don't mind driving. |
don't like | think it is not nice | He doesn't like flying. |
hate | really don't like | They hate waiting. |
- My husband loves gardening.
- I don't mind working at weekends.
- Mia hates getting up early.
Verb + -ing, not the verb alone
After these verbs, don't use the verb alone. Use the -ing form.
- I like walking to work.
- She enjoys meeting new people.
- Incorrect: I like swim.
- Correct: I like swimming.After like, use the -ing form.
- Incorrect: She loves read before bed.
- Correct: She loves reading before bed.
Enjoy and don't mind: only -ing
After enjoy and don't mind, use only the -ing form, not to + verb.
- I enjoy listening to podcasts on the train.
- Do you mind waiting for five minutes?
- Incorrect: I enjoy to cook for my friends.
- Correct: I enjoy cooking for my friends.
- Incorrect: I don't mind to wait.
- Correct: I don't mind waiting.After enjoy and mind, the next verb takes -ing.
Enjoy also needs something after it. We say I enjoy it or I enjoy my job, not just I enjoy.
Like, love and hate: -ing or to
After like, love and hate, to + verb is also correct: I like to cook, She hates to wait. At this level you can think of the two forms as the same. The -ing form is very common in British English when we talk about things we enjoy.
- I like cooking. = I like to cook.
- He hates being late. = He hates to be late.
Like + -ing, not am like
Like is a normal verb in the present simple. Don't put am, is or are before it.
- I like dancing.
- Incorrect: I am like dancing.
- Correct: I like dancing.Like is the verb here. Don't add am.
Spelling of -ing
The spelling rules are the same as for the present continuous. Most verbs just add -ing.
Verb ends in | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
most letters | add -ing | read → reading |
consonant + e | take the e away, add -ing | dance → dancing |
short verbs: one vowel + one consonant | double the consonant | swim → swimming |
-l after one vowel (British English) | double the l | travel → travelling |
Questions and negatives
Questions and negatives work as in the present simple, with do and does.
- Do you like cooking?
- What do you like doing at the weekend?
- Does your sister enjoy living in London?
- I don't like shopping for clothes.
- He doesn't mind cleaning.
Like + a noun
After these verbs we can also use a noun instead of an -ing form.
- I love music.
- She doesn't like cold weather.
- I hate traffic.
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Related rules
Where this rule sits
All A1 rulesVerb patterns: all rules