Ir Conjugation: The Verb Ir and Ir A + Infinitive

Level: A1. Ir means “to go”, and it is one of the first verbs you truly need in Spanish. It is irregular, so you learn its six forms by heart — and once you know them, the pattern ir a + infinitive gives you the whole near future for free.

The rule

Spanish verbs are listed in the dictionary in the infinitive, the “to do” form: hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), ir (to go). Most verbs follow a regular pattern, but ir is irregular: its present-tense forms do not look like the infinitive at all.

Learn these six forms:

• voy (I go), vas (you go), va (he/she goes, you-formal go)
• vamos (we go), vais (you-all go, Spain), van (they go, you-all go)

Beyond “going” to a place, ir has two high-value jobs:

1. Ir a + infinitive = the near future. Voy a estudiar means “I am going to study”. This is the everyday “going to” future, just like English.
2. A + el = al. When a (“to”) meets the masculine article el, they always fuse into al: voy al cine (“I go to the cinema”), never voy a el cine.

The forms of ir (present)

The contraction a + el = al

Example sentences

Each sentence was written for this lesson.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Voy a el cine → ✅ Voy al cine. A + el always contracts to al.
• ❌ Voy estudiar → ✅ Voy a estudiar. The near future needs the a between the verb and the infinitive.
• ❌ Yo vo → ✅ Yo voy. The “I” form is voy, with the -y.
• ❌ Tú va → ✅ Tú vas. Match the subject: tú takes vas.
• ❌ Ellos vamos → ✅ Ellos van. Vamos is only the “we” form; ellos takes van.

A short conversation

— ¿Adónde vas? — “Where are you going?” — Voy al mercado. ¿Vienes? — “I’m going to the market. Are you coming?” — Sí, vamos juntos. Luego vamos a cocinar. — “Yes, let’s go together. Then we’re going to cook.”

Usage notes

• Near future over simple future. In conversation, ir a + infinitive is the normal way to talk about plans; the one-word future tense (estudiaré) sounds more formal or distant.
• Vamos a… = let’s. Vamos a empezar can mean “we are going to start” or, as a suggestion, “let’s start”. Context and tone tell them apart.
• Transport with en. Say how you travel with en: voy en autobús, voy en coche, but voy a pie (“on foot”).
• Present for routines. The plain present of ir also covers habits: van a la playa los domingos (“they go to the beach on Sundays”).

Compared with the simple future

• The simple future tense (iré, estudiaré) also talks about what will happen, but it feels more formal, more distant or more like a firm prediction. For plans and intentions in daily speech, Spanish speakers reach for ir a + infinitive instead. You can see how the regular present works first on the regular -ar present-tense page, and browse the whole set in the Spanish grammar section. If you are just starting, warm up with the verb ser.

Quick recap before the quiz.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Review the regular present on the -ar verbs page
• Build sentences with the verb ser
• Browse every topic in the Spanish grammar section