A construção verbal "mean" + "gerund" indica qual será o resultado de uma ação ou o que será necessário fazer. A palavra mean pode ser substituída pelo termo "involve".
Exemplos
- 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.
A construção verbal "mean" + infinitivo expressa uma intenção ou plano. O termo "mean" pode ser substituído pela palavra "intend".
Exemplos
- 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.