Teach Someone To Do vs. Teach Doing
Teach + person + to-infinitive describes training someone to perform an action. Teach can also take a subject or skill as its direct object; when an -ing form names that subject/activity, it functions as what is taught rather than as the same person-action complement.
Use “teach someone to do something” when naming the learner and learned action. A noun-like activity after teach names subject matter and is a different object pattern.
Key details
Choose the right form
| What you are naming | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| the learner and the action learned | teach + person + to + base verb | Use the person + to-infinitive construction. |
| the subject, skill, course, or activity being taught | teach + subject/activity object | Use a direct object naming the material or skill. |
| an -ing form that names the activity itself | teach + activity (-ing noun-like object) | Treat it as what is taught, not as a replacement for the learner + infinitive pattern. |
Quick tests
Learner-versus-subject test
Are you naming who learns to perform a particular action?
If yes: Use “teach + person + to + base verb.”
If no: If you are naming the subject or activity itself, use it as the direct object of “teach.”
Caveat: An -ing activity can function as the thing taught; it does not supply the missing learner in the separate person + to-infinitive construction.
Examples
They taught the interns to check the figures twice.
The learner is named and the infinitive states the learned action.
She teaches swimming at the community centre.
“Swimming” names the activity or skill being taught.
The course teaches students to write clearer summaries.
The person + to-infinitive pattern identifies learners and the action learned.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not treat a subject/activity object after teach as if it supplied the missing learner in the person + to-infinitive construction.
Construction
Cambridge documents teach + to-infinitive for learned actions and direct objects such as languages, classes, courses, and subjects.
Decision
Use person + to-infinitive for who learns to perform an action; use a subject/activity object when naming the material or skill being taught.
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.
- teach — Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Teach + person + to-infinitive for learned actions and teach + subject/object for subject matter