Ir + A + Infinitive: The Near Future

The most common way to talk about the future in everyday Spanish is the construction ir + a + infinitive. This is equivalent to the English "going to" and is overwhelmingly preferred in spoken Spanish over the simple future tense.

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How It Works

The structure is straightforward:

Conjugated form of ir + a + infinitive verb

Think of it like English:

English	Spanish
I am going to eat	Voy a comer
She is going to study	Va a estudiar
We are going to travel	Vamos a viajar

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Conjugation of Ir (To Go) — Present Tense

Since we need the present tense of ir, here is the full conjugation:

Subject Pronoun	Ir	Example with Infinitive
yo	voy	Voy a hablar (I'm going to speak)
tú	vas	Vas a comer (You're going to eat)
él / ella / usted	va	Va a salir (He/She is going to leave)
nosotros/as	vamos	Vamos a estudiar (We're going to study)
vosotros/as	vais	Vais a correr (You all are going to run)
ellos / ellas / ustedes	van	Van a viajar (They're going to travel)

Tip: The verb ir is highly irregular in the present tense. Memorise these six forms — you will use them constantly.

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Examples with -AR Verbs

Spanish	English
Voy a hablar con mi jefe.	I'm going to speak with my boss.
¿Vas a comprar algo?	Are you going to buy something?
Ella va a cocinar esta noche.	She's going to cook tonight.
Vamos a bailar en la fiesta.	We're going to dance at the party.
¿Vais a estudiar para el examen?	Are you all going to study for the exam?
Ellos van a viajar a México.	They're going to travel to Mexico.

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Examples with -ER Verbs

Spanish	English
Voy a comer a las dos.	I'm going to eat at two.
¿Vas a beber agua?	Are you going to drink water?
Él va a aprender español.	He's going to learn Spanish.
Vamos a leer este libro.	We're going to read this book.
Van a correr en el parque.	They're going to run in the park.

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Examples with -IR Verbs

Spanish	English
Voy a vivir en Madrid.	I'm going to live in Madrid.
¿Vas a escribir un correo?	Are you going to write an email?
Ella va a abrir la puerta.	She's going to open the door.
Vamos a salir temprano.	We're going to leave early.
Van a decidir mañana.	They're going to decide tomorrow.

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Time Expressions Commonly Used

These time expressions frequently appear with ir + a + infinitive:

Spanish	English
mañana	tomorrow
esta noche	tonight
esta tarde	this afternoon/evening
la semana que viene	next week
el mes que viene	next month
el año que viene	next year
luego	later
después	afterwards
pronto	soon
en un rato	in a while

Examples with Time Expressions

• Mañana voy a ir al médico. — Tomorrow I'm going to go to the doctor.
• Vamos a salir esta noche. — We're going to go out tonight.
• ¿Qué vas a hacer la semana que viene? — What are you going to do next week?
• Van a mudarse el mes que viene. — They're going to move next month.
• Pronto voy a terminar. — Soon I'm going to finish.

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Negative Form

To make a negative sentence, place no before the conjugated form of ir:

Affirmative	Negative
Voy a estudiar.	No voy a estudiar.
Va a llover.	No va a llover.
Vamos a salir.	No vamos a salir.

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Question Form

Questions can be formed by inversion or simply by adding question marks and raising intonation:

• ¿Vas a venir a la fiesta? — Are you going to come to the party?
• ¿Qué van a hacer? — What are they going to do?
• ¿Cuándo vamos a comer? — When are we going to eat?
• ¿Dónde va a vivir? — Where is he/she going to live?

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Ir + A + Infinitive vs. English "Going To"

The parallel is almost exact:

English	Spanish
I'm going to work	Voy a trabajar
Are you going to eat?	¿Vas a comer?
She's not going to come	No va a venir
We're going to watch a film	Vamos a ver una película

Tip: Whenever you would say "going to" in English, use ir + a + infinitive in Spanish. It is natural, correct, and very widely used.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forgetting the a: It is NOT voy comer, it is voy a comer.
2. Conjugating the second verb: The second verb stays in the infinitive. NOT voy a como, but voy a comer.
3. Using the wrong form of ir: Make sure ir agrees with the subject — yo voy, tú vas, él va, etc.

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Quick Practice

Translate the following into Spanish using ir + a + infinitive:

1. I'm going to study tonight.
2. Are you going to travel next week?
3. She's going to cook dinner.
4. We're not going to watch television.
5. They're going to buy a car.

Answers

1. Voy a estudiar esta noche.
2. ¿Vas a viajar la semana que viene?
3. Ella va a cocinar la cena.
4. No vamos a ver la televisión.
5. Van a comprar un coche.

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Summary

• Ir + a + infinitive is the most common way to express the future in spoken Spanish.
• Conjugate ir in the present tense, add a, then the infinitive of the main verb.
• It works with -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs identically.
• Use it with time expressions like mañana, esta noche, la semana que viene.
• It directly mirrors the English "going to" construction.