Verb + person + to-infinitive

To say you want someone else to do something (want, ask, tell, advise…), use verb + object (person) + to + verb. The person takes the object form: me, you, him, her, us, them or a name.

💡Learners often translate “I want that you come” or say “I want you come”. English needs all three parts: want + you + to come. The person takes the object form: want him (not he) to come.

1. Wanting, expecting, needing: want, would like, expect, need

• My parents want me to study medicine.

• I'd like you to meet my cousin, Hoa.

• The coach expects us to train every morning.

2. Asking, telling, reminding, inviting: ask, tell, remind, beg, invite, help

• Can you remind me to buy some eggs?

• The teacher told us not to use dictionaries.

• Minh invited me to join his band.

3. Advising, persuading, encouraging, warning: advise, encourage, persuade, convince, warn, urge

• The doctor advised me to get more sleep.

• My friends persuaded me to try karaoke.

• They warned us not to swim after dark.

4. Allowing, forcing, enabling, teaching: allow, permit, force, enable, teach, get (= persuade, informal)

• The rain forced us to stay indoors.

• This app allows you to track your spending.

• My grandpa taught me to fish.

• I finally got my brother to clean his room.

Some verbs with similar meanings do not take person + to + verb. Use another pattern. make and let take person + base verb, with no to — see the lesson “Make / let” someone do.

With advise, allow, permit, encourage: with a person after the verb → to + verb; with no person → -ing. With recommend, the safest choices are -ing or a that-clause: I recommend booking early / I recommend (that) you book early.

• I'd advise you to bring a raincoat. / I'd advise bringing a raincoat.

• They don't allow people to park here. / They don't allow parking here.

The passive is very common: be allowed to, be asked to, be told to, be advised to, be expected to.

• You're not allowed to bring food into the cinema.

• Passengers are asked to keep their bags with them.

💡This pattern is also how we report requests and orders: “Please sit down,” she said. → She asked me to sit down. “Don't be late!” → He told us not to be late. See also the lesson “Reported speech”.

• ✗I want you come early tomorrow.

  ✓I want you to come early tomorrow.

  to is missing.

• ✗My parents want that I become a doctor.

  ✓My parents want me to become a doctor.

  want doesn't take a that-clause.

• ✗She told me don't worry.

  ✓She told me not to worry.

  The negative is not to + verb.

• ✗He said me to wait outside.

  ✓He told me to wait outside.

  say doesn't take person + to; use tell.

• ✗The doctor suggested me to rest.

  ✓The doctor advised me to rest. / The doctor suggested (that) I rest.

  suggest doesn't take person + to.

• ✗They don't allow to smoke here.

  ✓They don't allow smoking here. / They don't allow people to smoke here.

  allow needs person + to + verb, or -ing.