Can’t Bear Doing vs. Can’t Bear To Do
Oxford documents “bear” with both -ing and to-infinitive complements in the “cannot tolerate” sense. There can be contextual preferences, but neither pattern is categorically the only correct form.
Both “can’t bear doing” and “can’t bear to do” are standard for something so unpleasant that you find it very difficult to accept or do.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| find an activity or situation extremely unpleasant | can’t bear + -ing | standard |
| find the prospect/action extremely unpleasant | can’t bear + to-infinitive | also standard |
Quick tests
Complement-choice test
Are you asking whether only one of the two complements is grammatical for this unpleasantness sense?
If yes: No—both “can’t bear doing” and “can’t bear to do” are standard.
If no: Choose the wording that best fits the sentence; do not invent a correctness contrast that the evidence does not support.
Caveat: Other meanings of “bear” have different syntax and are outside this complement comparison.
Examples
I can’t bear waiting in long queues.
The gerund complement is standard.
I can’t bear to watch the final scene.
The infinitive complement is also standard.
She can’t bear being interrupted while she works.
The -ing form naturally presents the activity as the unpleasant experience.
Further guidance
Construction Boundary
Keep this complement question separate from other meanings of “bear,” such as carry, support or take responsibility.
Meaning Boundary
Do not force a universal meaning split between the forms; Oxford gives both within the same accept/deal-with sense.
Shared Pattern
Use can’t/couldn’t bear + -ing or + to-infinitive when the meaning is being unable to tolerate an unpleasant experience or action.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- bear — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Can’t bear with both to-infinitive and -ing complement patterns