Have Trouble Doing vs. Have Trouble To Do
Cambridge grammar directly documents have trouble doing something alongside have difficulty doing something. The cited pattern licenses the -ing complement for this meaning; do not infer have trouble to + infinitive as an interchangeable complement.
Use have trouble + -ing when describing difficulty with an activity.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| difficulty with an activity | have trouble + -ing | Use the -ing complement. |
| proposed interchangeable to-infinitive | have trouble + to do | Do not treat this as the ordinary equivalent for the documented difficulty construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you describing difficulty performing an activity?
If yes: Use “have trouble doing.”
If no: Use a different construction if “trouble” is not expressing difficulty with the activity.
Caveat: This guide covers the documented “have trouble + -ing” construction; it does not claim that every use of “trouble” takes the same complement.
Examples
I have trouble remembering names.
The -ing form names the activity that is difficult.
They had trouble finding the entrance.
The same pattern works in the past.
She is having trouble connecting to the network.
The -ing complement follows “have trouble.”
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited pattern licenses the -ing complement for this meaning; do not infer have trouble to + infinitive as an interchangeable complement.
Construction
Cambridge grammar directly documents have trouble doing something alongside have difficulty doing something.
Decision
Use have trouble + -ing when describing difficulty with an activity.
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.
- English Grammar in Use, Unit 63: Expressions + -ing (excerpt) (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge grammar reference directly documenting have trouble doing, spend/waste time doing, and it is no good doing.