Ir (to go) in Spanish

In Brief

Spanish ir means “to go.” Its present-tense forms are irregular—voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van—so learn them as a set. Use ir a + destination for movement (Voy al trabajo) and ir a + infinitive for a plan or expected event (Voy a comer); do not leave out a.

Overview

Ir is one of the most useful Spanish verbs. It appears in conversations about where people are going, regular journeys, invitations, and future plans. At A1, it gives you practical sentences such as Voy a casa (“I’m going home”), ¿Adónde vas? (“Where are you going?”), and Vamos a la playa (“We’re going to the beach”).

A verb is a word for an action or state. The infinitive is its basic dictionary form, such as ir (“to go”) or comer (“to eat”). Spanish changes the verb form to match the subject—the person or thing that performs the action. Unlike a regular verb, ir does not follow a predictable present-tense pattern: voy bears little resemblance to ir. Its six forms therefore need to be memorized.

English and Spanish use “go” in many similar ways, but the structures do not always match word for word. Spanish normally puts a before a destination, while English may use “to” or no preposition at all. Spanish also uses ir a + infinitive much as English uses “be going to + verb,” but Spanish conjugates ir, not ser or estar.

How It Works

Present-tense forms

The present tense describes what happens now, what happens regularly, or sometimes what is about to happen. These are the forms of ir:

Subject	Form	Basic meaning
yo	voy	I go / I am going
tú	vas	you go / you are going (informal singular)
él, ella, usted	va	he/she goes; you go (formal singular)
nosotros, nosotras	vamos	we go / we are going
vosotros, vosotras	vais	you all go / are going (mainly Spain)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	van	they go; you all go / are going

Spanish often omits a subject pronoun because the verb form already identifies the subject. Voy al centro normally gives enough information; Yo voy al centro is useful when contrasting yourself with someone else.

The English translation depends on context. Voy al gimnasio los lunes means “I go to the gym on Mondays,” while Voy al gimnasio ahora means “I’m going to the gym now.” Spanish does not need a separate “am going” form in either sentence.

Going to a destination: ir a + place

The beginner pattern is:

conjugated form of ir + a + destination

• Voy a Madrid. — I’m going to Madrid.
• Van a la estación. — They’re going to the station.
• Vamos al mercado. — We’re going to the market.

The preposition a points toward the destination. Keep it even where English uses no “to”: Voy a casa is “I’m going home,” not “I’m going to home.”

When a comes immediately before the masculine singular article el, the two words contract (combine) to form al:

Underlying words	Required form	Example
a + el	al	Voy al banco.
a + la	a la	Voy a la oficina.
a + los	a los	Voy a los museos.
a + las	a las	Voy a las tiendas.

Do not contract a él, where él means “him”: Voy a hablar con él. Nor is there a contraction when El belongs to a name that retains its article, as in Viajo a El Salvador.

Some common destinations normally appear without an article: ir a casa, ir a clase, and often ir a misa. Place names also usually take no article: ir a México, ir a Bogotá. These are vocabulary patterns worth learning as complete phrases.

Asking where someone is going

Use ¿Adónde…? or ¿A dónde…? to ask about a destination. Both spellings are accepted:

• ¿Adónde vas? — Where are you going?
• ¿A dónde van ustedes? — Where are you going?

In everyday speech, ¿Dónde vas? is also widespread. The version with a makes the idea of movement toward a destination explicit. By contrast, ¿Dónde estás? asks where someone is located, not where they are headed.

Plans and predictions: ir a + infinitive

A second essential pattern is:

present tense of ir + a + infinitive

Only ir changes. The second verb stays in its infinitive form:

• Voy a comer. — I’m going to eat.
• Vas a estudiar. — You’re going to study.
• Va a llover. — It’s going to rain.
• Vamos a salir. — We’re going to go out.

This construction is often called the near future or periphrastic future (a future meaning built with more than one verb). It is common for intentions, plans, and predictions based on the current situation. Despite the name “near future,” it can also refer to a more distant plan when the time expression makes that clear: Vamos a viajar a Chile el año que viene (“We’re going to travel to Chile next year”).

Notice the two roles of a:

• Voy a la biblioteca: a introduces a destination.
• Voy a estudiar: a introduces an infinitive and creates a future meaning.
• Voy a la biblioteca a estudiar: both patterns can occur together—“I’m going to the library to study.”

Negatives and questions

Put no immediately before the conjugated form of ir:

• No voy al trabajo hoy. — I’m not going to work today.
• No vamos a comprar nada. — We aren’t going to buy anything.

For a question, Spanish can keep the same word order and use question intonation and punctuation:

• ¿Vas al supermercado? — Are you going to the supermarket?
• ¿Van a venir mañana? — Are they going to come tomorrow?

English needs forms of “do” or “be” in these questions; Spanish does not add an equivalent helper verb.

Transport and manner

Use en with many means of transport but a pie for walking:

• Voy en autobús / en tren / en coche. — I go by bus / train / car.
• Vamos a pie. — We’re going on foot.

These phrases say how someone travels. They can combine with a destination: Voy al trabajo en metro.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Voy al trabajo a las ocho.	I go to work at eight.	A regular journey; a + el = al.
¿Adónde vas después de clase?	Where are you going after class?	Asks for a destination.
Vamos a la playa este sábado.	We’re going to the beach this Saturday.	Present vamos with a future time phrase.
Mis padres van a Madrid en tren.	My parents are going to Madrid by train.	Destination plus means of transport.
Laura va a casa porque está cansada.	Laura is going home because she is tired.	Casa has no article in this expression.
¿Vais al cine esta noche?	Are you all going to the movies tonight?	Informal plural form used mainly in Spain.
Ustedes van al museo, ¿verdad?	You’re going to the museum, right?	Ustedes takes van.
Voy a comer con Ana.	I’m going to eat with Ana.	Plan: voy a + infinitive.
¿Qué vas a hacer mañana?	What are you going to do tomorrow?	A common question about plans.
El bebé va a dormir pronto.	The baby is going to sleep soon.	Expected event.
Mira esas nubes: va a llover.	Look at those clouds: it’s going to rain.	Prediction based on present evidence.
No vamos a salir hoy.	We aren’t going to go out today.	No goes before vamos.
Voy a la biblioteca a estudiar.	I’m going to the library to study.	Destination followed by purpose.
¡Vamos!	Let’s go! / Come on!	A frequent standalone expression.

Common Mistakes

Using a regular ending

• Wrong: Yo iro al centro.
• Right: Yo voy al centro.
• Why: Ir is highly irregular. Its present forms are not built by adding regular endings to ir.

Leaving out a before a destination

• Wrong: Vamos la playa.
• Right: Vamos a la playa.
• Why: Movement toward a destination normally uses ir a + place.

Failing to form al

• Wrong: Voy a el supermercado.
• Right: Voy al supermercado.
• Why: The sequence a + el must contract to al when el is the masculine singular article.

Conjugating both verbs in the near future

• Wrong: Voy a como.
• Right: Voy a comer.
• Why: In ir a + infinitive, only ir is conjugated. The action verb remains in its dictionary form.

Building the future with estar

• Wrong: Estoy a estudiar mañana.
• Right: Voy a estudiar mañana.
• Why: English “I am going to study” contains “am,” but the Spanish future pattern uses a form of ir, not estar.

Confusing destination and location

• Wrong: Voy en la oficina ahora (intended: “I’m at the office now”).
• Right: Estoy en la oficina ahora.
• Why: Ir a expresses movement toward somewhere. Estar en expresses being located somewhere.

Usage Notes

Tú, usted, vosotros, and ustedes all translate as “you,” but they signal different audiences. Use vas with one person addressed informally and va with one person addressed as usted. In most of Spain, vais addresses an informal group and van an ustedes group. Across Latin America, ustedes van is the normal plural form in both informal and formal settings. Some regions also use vos with the form vas: Vos vas.

Spanish often uses the simple present of ir for an arranged future when a time phrase makes the timing clear: Mañana voy al médico (“I’m going to the doctor tomorrow”). The fuller Mañana voy a ir al médico is also correct and explicitly presents the trip as a plan. The repeated-looking voy a ir is not an error: the first voy builds the future, and ir names the future action.

Vamos has a special conversational life. ¡Vamos! can mean “Let’s go!”, “Come on!”, or encouragement such as “You can do it!” depending on tone and context. To suggest an activity, Spanish commonly uses ¿Vamos al cine? (“Shall we go to the movies?”) or Vamos a comer (“Let’s eat” / “We’re going to eat”), with context distinguishing suggestion from statement.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

In completed past narration, ir uses the preterite (a tense for completed past events): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. These forms are identical to the preterite of ser (“to be”), so context supplies the meaning: Fui a Sevilla means “I went to Seville,” while Fue difícil means “It was difficult.” In the imperfect (a past tense often used for habits or background), the forms are iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban: De niño, iba a la piscina cada semana (“As a child, I used to go to the pool every week”).

The gerund yendo—the -ing form used in progressive constructions—is irregular. Estoy yendo a casa can mean “I’m on my way home,” but Spanish often prefers the simple Voy a casa. Do not assume that every English “be going” phrase needs estar + yendo.

Several common expressions extend the meaning of ir:

• ir bien / mal — to go well / badly: La reunión va bien.
• ¿Cómo te va? — How’s it going for you?
• ir de compras — to go shopping
• ir de vacaciones — to go on vacation
• ir por — to go and get, or to travel via: Voy por café can mean “I’m going to get coffee” in many regions.
• irse — to leave or go away: Me voy means “I’m leaving.” This is the pronominal form (a verb used with me, te, se, and related pronouns) and deserves separate study because ir and irse are not always interchangeable.

The near future and the simple future can overlap: Voy a llamar and Llamaré can both refer to a future call. In conversation, ir a + infinitive is especially natural for plans, intentions, and predictions connected to the present. The simple future can sound more neutral, formal, or like a prediction, but the exact contrast depends on context and region rather than on a rigid “near versus distant” rule.

Practice Tips

1. Memorize a rhythm: say voy, vas, va; vamos, vais, van aloud, then attach one destination to each form. This trains the irregular forms as complete chunks rather than as a rule that does not exist.
2. Make two columns: write five real destinations under ir a + place and five plans under ir a + infinitive. Include examples with al, a la, and a casa so that the small connecting words become automatic.
3. Ask and answer daily: use ¿Adónde vas hoy? and ¿Qué vas a hacer mañana? Answer in full, then change the subject: Voy…, Mi amiga va…, Mis amigos van….

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -AR Verbs — provides a useful contrast between predictable present-tense endings and the irregular forms of ir.
• Next step: Near Future (ir a + infinitive) — develops the future construction in greater detail, including plans and predictions.