A1
ir a + infinitive — the near future
How Spanish expresses the future with ir a plus an infinitive, and why it has largely replaced the simple future in speech.
Conjugate ir, add a, then the infinitive.
| voy | vamos |
| vas | vais |
| va | van |
Voy a estudiar esta noche.
I-go to to-study this night
I’m going to study tonight.
Vamos a comer.
we-go to to-eat
We’re going to eat.
English does the same thing with going to, which makes this one of the few Spanish structures that needs no rethinking.
The a cannot be dropped
Voy estudiar.
Voy a estudiar.
Ir always takes a before an infinitive, and before a destination — voy a Madrid. It is the one preposition this verb cannot do without.
It has largely replaced the simple future
Spanish has a proper future — estudiaré — but in conversation ir a does most of the work, and for anything in the next few days it is what people say. The simple future survives in writing, and in guessing about the present: ¿qué hora será? — what time do you think it is?
vamos a is also let’s
¡Vamos a bailar!
we-go to to-dance
Let’s dance!
The same words mean we are going to dance and let’s dance. Intonation and context separate them, and Spanish speakers feel no ambiguity.
The negative
No goes before the conjugated verb, as always.
No voy a ir.
not I-go to to-go
I’m not going to go.