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He is happy to read English.
He is happy reading English.

There is no difference between above two sentences. Right?

Which out of below is the correct meaning of above sentences. I am confused. Can you clarify?

He is happy after reading English.
He is happy while reading English.

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  • The two opening sentences are not an exact match in meaning. Jan 24, 2022 at 4:31
  • @FumbleFingers: Please add the answer. I found your explanation very useful and hope, others may find the same.
    – Abcdef
    Jan 24, 2022 at 18:59

3 Answers 3

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There is no difference between above two sentences. Right?

There is. It's hard to explain the difference between to X as an infinitive and X-ing as a gerund; many verbs require one or the other.

He is happy to read English.

He hasn't planned to read something / read English, yet.

He is happy reading English.

He has already read, or is currently reading something / reading English.

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  • He has already read, or is currently reading something / reading English. can I say that reading English in second case can be after reading or while reading ?
    – Abcdef
    Oct 8, 2022 at 9:17
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'Happy' can refer both to a feeling and an act of volition (a choice, a willingness).

He is happy reading English.

means he has the feeling of happiness while (-ing) doing the action of reading. It's equivalent to

He is happy when he is reading.

The other sentence

He is happy to read English.

means the same as

He is willing to read English.

In fact, he may not have the feeling of happiness while reading.

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  • No. '... reading English ...' can idiomatically only refer to taking a degree course; 'reading English literature / novels' etc or 'reading in English' would be natural. OP would be better choosing a different noun to clarify (thrillers / jurisprudence, say). Jan 24, 2022 at 11:41
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Often, both versions are interchangeable, but there can be a difference in implication...

1: He's happy doing that
strongly implies he's already doing it

...whereas...

2: He's happy to do that
implies he will do it - willingly (he's agreed to do it, but hasn't done so yet).

So given the cited example text, if we assume the reference is to studying English at degree level, the default assumptions would be that He is happy to read English means he's agreeable to applying to go to university to study English, whereas He is happy reading English implies he's already there on the course (and he likes it).

If "reading English" simply means reading English texts for pleasure (novels, poetry, etc.), it's unlikely anyone would use the infinitive form to read, because the construction [be] happy to do [something] is generally restricted to contexts where [something] is a task, rather than a pastime.

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