VERBS WHICH TAKE THE INFINITIVE - see also VERBS 04 and VERBS 05

Some verbs in French are followed directly by the infinitive form of another verb. The more common ones include:

aller - to go	I am going to help the woman.	Je vais aider la femme.
pouvoir - to be able	I can (am able) (to) see the tree.	Je peux voir l'arbre.
falloir - to be necessary	It is necessary to do (the) homework.	Il faut faire les devoirs.
devoir - to have to	I must (have to) do the washing-up.	Je dois faire la vaisselle.
savoir - to know, know how to	He knows how to swim.	Il sait nager.
venir - to come	She is coming to buy the paperclips.	Elle vient acheter les trombones.
sortir - to go out	He is going out to sell the gold.	Il sort vendre l'or.
préférer - to prefer	I prefer to stay at home.	Je préfère rester chez moi.
espérer - to hope	She hopes to become rich.	Elle espère devenir riche.
vouloir - to want	He wants to go to the cinema.	Il veut aller au cinéma.
désirer - to desire, to wish	They wish to get married.	Ils désirent se marier.
aimer - to like, to enjoy	We like knitting (to knit).	Nous aimons tricoter.