Near Future with *ir a* + Infinitive in Spanish

In Brief

To talk about a plan, intention, or event that seems likely to happen, use the present tense of ir + a + an infinitive (the basic verb form): Voy a cocinar means “I’m going to cook.” Only ir changes to match the subject; the second verb stays in the infinitive.

Overview

The Spanish near future, often called futuro próximo or futuro perifrástico, is built with ir a + infinitive. A periphrasis is simply a group of verbs that works together as one unit. In Vamos a salir, the conjugated form vamos identifies the subject as “we,” while salir names the action.

This is an essential A2 pattern because it lets you discuss plans and predictions without learning a new set of future-tense endings. It often corresponds to English be going to: Voy a estudiar esta noche (“I’m going to study tonight”). The match is useful, but not exact. Spanish uses this construction very freely in everyday speech, including for some future statements where English might prefer will.

The name “near future” can be misleading. The event may be about to happen—El tren va a salir—but it can also be weeks or years away if it is presented as a plan or intention: Vamos a mudarnos el año que viene. The speaker’s view of the event matters more than its distance in time.

How It Works

The basic pattern

Use three parts in this order:

subject + present tense of ir + a + infinitive

In Marta va a llamar, va is the conjugated verb (the form that changes for person and number), a is required, and llamar remains an infinitive.

Subject	Present of ir	Pattern with comer	Meaning
yo	voy	voy a comer	I am going to eat
tú	vas	vas a comer	you are going to eat
él / ella / usted	va	va a comer	he / she is; you are going to eat
nosotros / nosotras	vamos	vamos a comer	we are going to eat
vosotros / vosotras	vais	vais a comer	you all are going to eat
ellos / ellas / ustedes	van	van a comer	they are; you all are going to eat

Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun because the form of ir already makes it clear: Voy a descansar is normally more natural than Yo voy a descansar. Use the pronoun when you need emphasis or contrast: Yo voy a cocinar y tú vas a lavar los platos.

The infinitive may be regular or irregular in other tenses; none of that changes this pattern. Use its dictionary form:

• va a hablar — is going to speak
• vamos a hacer — are going to do/make
• van a tener — are going to have
• vas a dormir — are going to sleep

Negatives

Place no directly before the conjugated form of ir:

subject + no + ir + a + infinitive

• No voy a comprarlo. — I’m not going to buy it.
• Ellos no van a venir. — They aren’t going to come.

Do not place no between a and the infinitive when you are simply negating the future action. The whole verb group is negated from the front.

Questions

Yes-or-no questions keep the same basic word order and use question intonation and Spanish question marks:

• ¿Vas a trabajar mañana? — Are you going to work tomorrow?
• ¿Va a llover? — Is it going to rain?

A question word comes before the verb group:

• ¿Qué vas a hacer? — What are you going to do?
• ¿Cuándo van a llegar? — When are they going to arrive?
• ¿Dónde vamos a comer? — Where are we going to eat?

Object and reflexive pronouns

An object pronoun is a short word that stands for the person or thing affected by an action, such as “it” in “buy it.” With ir a + infinitive, it can usually go in either of two places:

1. before the conjugated ir: Lo voy a comprar;
2. attached to the infinitive: Voy a comprarlo.

Both mean “I’m going to buy it,” and both are standard. The same choice applies to reflexive pronouns, which show that the action returns to the subject:

• Me voy a levantar temprano.
• Voy a levantarme temprano.

Both mean “I’m going to get up early.” If two pronouns occur together, keep their normal order and move them as a unit: Se lo voy a explicar / Voy a explicárselo. Notice the written accent in explicárselo, which preserves the original stress when pronouns are attached.

Time expressions

A time phrase is not required. Context may already make the future meaning clear: Espera, voy a ayudarte (“Wait, I’m going to help you”). Common time markers include ahora, esta tarde, esta noche, mañana, el fin de semana, la semana que viene and dentro de dos años.

Time expressions can often appear at the beginning or end:

• Mañana vamos a visitar el museo.
• Vamos a visitar el museo mañana.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Voy a comer en unos minutos.	I’m going to eat in a few minutes.	Immediate intention
Va a llover esta tarde.	It’s going to rain this afternoon.	Prediction based on the situation
Vamos a salir mañana.	We’re going to go out tomorrow.	Shared plan
¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana?	What are you going to do this weekend?	Information question
Mis padres van a viajar a Perú en agosto.	My parents are going to travel to Peru in August.	A scheduled plan
No voy a conducir; estoy cansado.	I’m not going to drive; I’m tired.	Negative intention
¿Vais a quedaros aquí?	Are you all going to stay here?	Vosotros form; reflexive pronoun attached
Te voy a llamar después de la reunión.	I’m going to call you after the meeting.	Object pronoun before voy
Voy a llamarte después de la reunión.	I’m going to call you after the meeting.	Same meaning; pronoun attached
Cuidado: el vaso se va a caer.	Careful: the glass is going to fall.	Imminent event
Este año vamos a aprender mucho.	This year we’re going to learn a lot.	Longer-term expectation
¿Usted va a pagar con tarjeta?	Are you going to pay by card?	Formal singular “you”
No van a poder venir esta noche.	They aren’t going to be able to come tonight.	Two infinitive ideas: poder venir
Primero voy a terminar esto y luego voy a descansar.	First I’m going to finish this, and then I’m going to rest.	Sequence of intentions

Common Mistakes

Leaving out a

• Wrong: Voy comer ahora.
• Right: Voy a comer ahora.
• Why: The preposition a is a fixed part of the future construction. English “going to” also contains “to,” but Spanish learners must remember the exact unit ir a + infinitive.

Conjugating both verbs

• Wrong: Vamos a salimos mañana.
• Right: Vamos a salir mañana.
• Why: Only ir is conjugated. The action verb stays in its infinitive form, even when its subject is plural.

Using estar as a direct copy of English

• Wrong: Estoy yendo a estudiar esta noche when you mean a future plan.
• Right: Voy a estudiar esta noche.
• Why: English be going to does not map word for word onto Spanish. Spanish uses a present form of ir, not estar + yendo, for this future pattern. Estoy yendo literally describes being on the way and is uncommon outside a context that truly focuses on movement in progress.

Putting no inside the verb group

• Wrong: Voy a no trabajar mañana.
• Right: No voy a trabajar mañana.
• Why: For an ordinary negative intention, put no before the conjugated verb. The other order can occur in specially focused, advanced structures, but it is not the basic pattern.

Separating an attached pronoun from the infinitive

• Wrong: Voy a lo comprar.
• Right: Lo voy a comprar or Voy a comprarlo.
• Why: An object pronoun goes before conjugated ir or attaches to the infinitive; it cannot stand between a and the infinitive.

Treating ir a as motion when the next word is a verb

• Potential confusion: Voy a Madrid versus Voy a estudiar.
• Meaning: The first means “I’m going to Madrid”; the second means “I’m going to study.”
• Why: After ir a, a noun or place normally gives a destination, while an infinitive creates the near-future construction. Context and the type of word after a resolve the meaning.

Usage Notes

Plans, intentions, and evidence-based predictions

The construction commonly presents a decision or intention: Voy a buscar otro trabajo. It also predicts an event from present evidence: dark clouds may prompt Va a llover, and a wobbling box may prompt Se va a caer. The subject does not need to intend anything; weather and accidents clearly have no intention.

For spontaneous offers and decisions, Spanish also uses it naturally: Yo voy a abrir la puerta (“I’ll open the door”). English often chooses will here, so translating every voy a as “am going to” can sound stiff even when the Spanish is perfectly ordinary.

Everyday preference and regional reach

Ir a + infinitive is standard throughout the Spanish-speaking world and extremely common in conversation. The vosotros form vais is used mainly in Spain. In most of Latin America, speakers use ustedes van for plural “you.” This difference changes the form of ir, not the construction itself.

In casual speech, the words may run together, but careful writing always keeps them separate: va a salir, not va salir or vaa salir.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every contrast at A2, but these points will help you understand more natural Spanish later.

Near future versus simple future

Spanish also has a simple future, formed as one word: comeré, saldrás, lloverá. The two futures overlap, and the choice is not determined only by how soon the event occurs.

Ir a + infinitive	Simple future
Often presents a plan, intention, or expected development: Voy a hablar con Ana.	Can sound more like a neutral forecast, promise, or formal statement: Hablaré con Ana.
Very frequent in ordinary conversation	Common in speech and writing, but often less immediate or less plan-focused
Uses the present tense of ir	Uses future endings attached to the infinitive

These are tendencies, not rigid rules. Mañana lloverá and Mañana va a llover can both be natural. The second often feels tied more directly to a current forecast or expectation. The simple future also has an advanced use for guesses about the present: ¿Dónde estará? (“I wonder where he/she is”); ir a + infinitive does not normally replace it in that function.

A past viewpoint: iba a + infinitive

Once you know the imperfect past form of ir, you will encounter iba a + infinitive for something that was planned, expected, or just about to happen:

• Iba a llamarte, pero se me hizo tarde. — I was going to call you, but it got late.
• El tren iba a salir cuando llegamos. — The train was about to leave when we arrived.

This is the same basic pattern viewed from a past reference point. The context tells you whether the expected action actually happened.

Ir a in warnings and rhetorical questions

In lively speech, the construction can strengthen a warning: ¡Te vas a caer! (“You’re going to fall!”). It also appears in rhetorical replies such as ¿Cómo voy a saberlo? (“How am I supposed to know?”). Here the literal future idea is weakened; the phrase expresses impossibility, protest, or disbelief. Learn these uses as extensions of the core pattern rather than as a new conjugation.

Future meaning inside dependent clauses

English often uses a present form after words such as “when”: “I’ll call you when I arrive.” Spanish commonly uses the present subjunctive—a verb form used in certain non-factual or not-yet-realized clauses—for the future event: Voy a llamarte cuando llegue, not normally cuando voy a llegar. This belongs to a later grammar topic, but it explains why ir a + infinitive cannot simply be inserted into every clause that refers to the future.

Practice Tips

1. Build six-person chains. Choose one useful infinitive and say all six forms: voy a viajar, vas a viajar, va a viajar, vamos a viajar, vais a viajar, van a viajar. This separates the changing form of ir from the unchanged infinitive.
2. Plan a real day in Spanish. Write five sentences beginning with a time phrase: Esta tarde voy a…, Después voy a…. Then turn two into negatives and two into questions.
3. Move pronouns both ways. For each sentence with an object or reflexive pronoun, produce both standard versions: Me voy a acostar / Voy a acostarme and Lo vamos a hacer / Vamos a hacerlo.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Ir (to go) — learn voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, and van before building the near future.
• Next step: Simple Future — compare voy a hablar with hablaré and broaden the ways you refer to future events.