There is no rule that can help you understand if you should place ing or to infinitive after a verb. The only way to use them correctly is memorising them and practicing!
admit (to)
appreciate
avoid
can’t help
can’t stand
celebrate
consider
delay
deny
discuss
dislike
enjoy
finish
imagine
involve
keep
look forward to
mention
mind
miss
postpone
practise
quit
recommend
risk
suggest
afford
agree
appear
ask
be supposed
bother
decide
demand
expect
fail
hope
intend
learn
manage
need
offer
plan
prepare
promise
refuse
seem
threaten
volunteer
wait
want
begin
continue
hate
like
love
prefer
start
Remember
•Remember + ing means you remember something that you did before the moment of speaking
👉 I remember falling down the stairs when I was for years old → Recuerdo haberme caído…
•Remember + infinitive means you remember what you have to do after the moment of speaking
👉 My husband remembered to pay the bills on time this month → Recordó pagar…
Forget
•Forget + ing means you forget something that you did before the moment of speaking.
👉 She didn’t recognize him at all. She forgot meeting him last summer → No recuerda haberle conocido…
•Forget + infinitive means you forget what you have to do after the moment of speaking
👉 She forgot to meet her client for lunch, so she got an angry phone call from him later → Se le olvidó…
Regret
•Regret + ing means you did something that you wish you hadn’t (lamentar haber hecho algo)
👉 I regretted telling him my secret because he told everyone at my school
•Regret + infinitive means you’re sorry (lamentar hacer algo)
👉 We regret to tell you that your application was not accepted
Try
•Try + ing means you experiment in order to see what will happen
👉 She couldn’t sleep well so she tried having a glass of milk before going to bed to see if she could sleep better.
•Try + infinitive means you attempted something. It implies effort.
👉 I tried to be patient but it was difficult (I made the effort)
Stop
•Stop + ing means you quit doing something (dejar de…)
👉 He stopped smoking last week → Dejó de…
•Stop + infinitive means you interrupt one activity in order to do another
👉 Even though he was behind in his work, he stopped to smoke a cigarette → Paró para…
Go on
•Go on + ing means that the action continues
👉 She went on talking about her trip for hours
•Go on + infinitive means that the activity changes to another one
👉 She started talking about her trip and she went on to tell a joke → Pasó a contar un chiste
Mean
•Mean + ing means “involve”
👉 If you go to university, it will mean studying very hard for a few years. → Si vas a la Universidad, implicará estudiar mucho durante años.
•Mean + infinitive means “intend” (to have the intention)
👉 She ment to help me with my homework but she didn’t show up in the end. → Tenía la intención de ayudarme pero no se presentó.