like + gerund vs infinitive

[Reign18]

hello guys!!!
i have a some questions coz i'm a bit confusing.

1. I don't like to ask him.
2. I don't like asking him.

plzz explain it?

[Sajan]

"Like to do sth" and "like doing sth" often have no difference in use, e.g. "I like getting up early = I like to get up early". But in British English there is sometimes difference between them:
"I like doing" = "I enjoy it" e.g.:
Do you like cooking? (Do you enjoy it?)
I like living here. (I enjoy it.)

"I like to do" = "I think it is good or right to do" e.g.:
I like to clean kitchen as often as possible. ( This doesn't mean that I enjoy it; it means that I think it's a good thing to do.)

[Alan]

Hi,

This is a common question about the difference of infinitive or gerund after those verbs that can take either. One way of making a distinction is to regard the infinitive as specific and the gerund as general as in:

I like to go for a swim early in the morning when it's really hot.

I like going for a swim most days.

Alan
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[Torsten]

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Hi,

If you want to learn more about when to use the gerund or the infinitive you might want to read Alan's story Gerund or Infinitve?

By the way, you might also want to check the difference between 'confused' and 'confusing'.

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