I’ve Had Enough

Perfect Infinitive with Verbs of Feeling

The perfect infinitive used with verbs of feeling denotes a completed action.

• Nōn paenitēbat intercapēdinem scrībendī fēcisse: It was no pain to take respite from writing.
• Mē Graecum dixisse pudet: I am ashamed that I spoke Greek.
• Illīs pira ēdisse iuvat: They’re pleased to have eaten pears

This pattern also holds with phrases like satis est, satis habēre, melius est, and contentus esse.

• Satis est sōlem vidisse: it is enough to have seen the sun.
• Quiēsse erit melius: it would have been better to shut up.

In sum, I should not that this is a grammatical preference, not a grammatical rule. You’ll encounter it frequently, especially in the poets, but verbs of feeling and these constructions do not demand the perfect infinitive.

The Essential AG: 486f