I recommend to do / doing something (2025)

Hello.

I watched a video on youtube. It's a video teaching you how to get a certain hairstyle. The youtuber is an american teenage girl who lives in LA, the USA.
She says in her video "To make the styling easier, I recommend to wash your hair the night before you want to style it."

I remember I was taught to say "I recommend washing your hair the night before you want to style it.". And using "to wash" above is wrong and not grammatical. Isn't it?

The video:
<<Sorry, no youtubes in this Forum.>>
Have you heard people say that?
Am I right or wrong?

Thanks!

I watched the entire video (which you weren't allowed to post here, by the way) and I didn't hear the sentence you quote. However, she did use "recommend to" in "And for the best results, I recommend to braid your hair when it is damp instead of soaking wet..."

I actually thought that sentences like "I recommend you to do something" were possible in BE, so is there any difference when there is no object after "recommend"?

She says in her video "To make the styling easier, I recommend to wash your hair the night before you want to style it."

I remember I was taught to say "I recommend washing your hair the night before you want to style it.". And using "to wash" above is wrong and not grammatical. Isn't it?

Click to expand...

You're right. She's wrong.

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies!

In recommend verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com there is an example: " recommend somebody to do something: We'd recommend you to book your flight early."

Is this a mistake or a special case, which is not described in detail, unfortunately?

Thanks!

CORRECT: I recommend to xxxx (do/wash/whatever)
INCORRECT: I recommend

to xxxx (do/wash/whatever)
CORRECT (but unusual, unless the one you recommend something it's unclear. It must be always at the end of the sentence): I recommend to do xxxx (do/wash/whatever) to you.

Example:
CORRECT: I'd like to recommend a restaurant.
CORRECT: I'd like to recommend a restaurant to you.
INCORRECT: I'd like to recommend you a restaurant.

dn88 said:

I watched the entire video (which you weren't allowed to post here, by the way) and I didn't hear the sentence you quote. However, she did use "recommend to" in "And for the best results, I recommend to braid your hair when it is damp instead of soaking wet..."

I actually thought that sentences like "I recommend you to do something" were possible in BE, so is there any difference when there is no object after "recommend"?

Click to expand...

On the other aspect, I think it’s understandable with to-infinitive as not the object of the verb recommend. I am afraid it’s wrong but not as the object, I don’t think it’s wrong.😅

Both in Britain and the USA, the preferred constructions are "recommend (that) you + VERB". The other constructions "recommend (you) to + VERB" are

less used, verging on the incorrect.

See Google Books Ngram Viewer.