15

As title suggests..what's the difference? I heard that the difference is that with "in" you are talking about something that will or is lasting in the time, while "to" is something you do just one time.

So, the sentence "I am interested in starting my career in your company" is correct? Or maybe "I am interested to start my career in your company"?

1
  • I would suggest "I am interested in starting my career with your company." or "as part of your company."
    – mc01
    Sep 8, 2014 at 16:46

4 Answers 4

17

Whether you use "in" or "to" depends on how you are using word that comes after it.

Interested in

When you use "interested in", you are usually talking about being interested in something (generally, a noun). For example, you can be interested in wine, or interested in cheese. Therefore, this sentence usually takes the form "[Someone] is interested in [something]."

There are times, however where the something you are interested in can be a verb. For example, you can be interested in swimming, or reading, or sleeping. In this case, the verb is acting like a noun. When a verb acts like a noun, it is called a gerund and almost always will end in "-ing".

Interested to

"Interested to" is a bit more complicated, because by itself it doesn't really make sense. The "to" is actually part of the verb that comes after it, like in "to read", "to see", or "to hear". This "to form" of the verb is known as the infinitive, and is used to add detail to (or modify) the word that comes before it.

This type of sentence usually takes the form of "[Someone] is interested [to do something]."

To really answer your question...

"Interested in" is used when what comes after it is a noun, or a verb acting like a noun (known as a gerund).

"Interested to" is used when what comes after it is a verb in its "to form" (known as an infinitive).

"I am interested in starting my career in your company" is the preferred construction. While "I am interested to start my career in your company" may be technically correct, you should not use it because people generally don't use "interested" with "to start". A more commonly accepted way to say it while still using the "to" would be "I am excited to start my career in your company".

Hope this helps, and good luck with your new career! :)

2
  • Very exhaustive, thanks! :) Can I also infer that the first form is used when you are meaning something that lasts in time (like for example "I am interested in reading" to express an hobby), while the second one to a more instantaneous/specific thing? (like for example "I am interested to read x book") Sep 9, 2014 at 21:33
  • Yes, that is absolutely correct!
    – Egghead99
    Sep 10, 2014 at 6:55
3

Here's how it goes:

You're interested in..

.. buying a house = you're seriously considering whether to buy a house.

.. collecting stamps = your hobby is collecting stamps.

(be) interested to (do) has the meaning of "learn"

I was interested to.. .. hear what he had to say. .. see what they would do next. .. read the report. .. find out what happened.

or when an event holds your attention:

I was interested to watch him tune the piano.

*I'm interested in football.

I'll be interested to see if City can win their next game.

So. You're interested in learning better English. Nice!

But, were you interested to read this?*

0

Broadly,

'We are interested in something,' and
'We are interested to do something.'

True that interested in starting... is quite common that interested to start...

Out of those two sentences, I'd prefer this:

I am interested in starting my career in your company

Good to note mc01's suggestion. ...starting with your company... or also, ...starting at your company... if you want to emphasize the place.

0

I think this sounds a perfect explanation: with "in" you are talking about something that will or is lasting in the time, while "to" is something you do just one time.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .