La construcción verbal "mean" + "gerund" expresa cuál será el resultado de una acción o qué será necesario hacer. El verbo "mean" podría sustituirse por el verbo "involve".
Ejemplos
- If you take that job in London it will mean travelling for two hours every day.
- We could take the ferry to France, but that will mean spending a night in a hotel.
- Buying this jacket now means not buying another until next year.
- Leaving school would mean finding a job.
La construcción verbal "mean" + infinitivo sirve para expresar una intención o un plan. El verbo "mean" podría sustituirse por el verbo "intend".
Ejemplos
- Did you mean to dial this number?
- I mean to finish this job by the end of the week!
- I didn't mean to hurt you.
- I meant to return the books on time.