MyLeoNes™

Like plus -ing — Foreign languages, 7–10

English uses a special pattern to talk about activities you enjoy or do not enjoy. You will learn to say what you like doing, not just name an object.

An activity after like

When you talk about enjoying an activity, put the activity in the -ing form after like: I like drawing. She likes swimming. The -ing word acts like the name of the activity. You can also say I don’t like waiting or Do you like singing?

Why name the activity?

Saying I like music tells someone about a thing. Saying I like listening to music tells them about something you do. English needs a way to turn an action such as listen into an activity you can talk about. The -ing form does that job after like.

Building a sentence

Suppose Ana enjoys riding her bike. Start with the person: Ana. Use likes because one person likes something. Take ride, double the final consonant, and add -ing: riding. Add her bike. The sentence is Ana likes riding her bike. For a question, say Does Ana like riding her bike?

Not like to -ing

A learner may say I like to swimming because like and to often appear together in English. That is a reasonable mix-up: English can also use I like to swim in some situations. In this pattern, choose one form and keep it whole: I like swimming or I like to swim, never I like to swimming.

Sharing what you enjoy

This pattern helps when you meet someone with a shared interest: I like playing chess. Do you like making models? It is useful for choosing a game, planning a club activity or finding a book about a hobby. Be specific: I like drawing animals says more than I like art.

Keep exploring

Other languages

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