"Ir + a" + infinitivo

1. What does ir + a + infinitive express?

• Use ir + a + infinitive to talk about the near future.
• In English, this is usually “be going to + verb”.

Hoy voy a trabajar desde casa. → “Today I’m going to work from home.”

• It is very common in everyday Spanish.
• At A1 level, you can use this structure for almost all future ideas you need.

2. The formula at a glance

Always keep this order:

Person + form of ir + a + infinitive

• Person: yo, tú, él, ella, usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos, ellas, ustedes
• Form of ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van
• a: this preposition is obligatory.
• Infinitive: verb in basic form (trabajar, viajar, comer, vivir…)

Think: “who” → “go” → “to” → “action”.

3. Conjugation of ir (the only changing part)

Only the verb ir changes. The infinitive stays the same.

Key idea: once you know these six forms of ir, you can build the near future with any verb.

4. Word order: where do other words go?

The core stays together: ir + a + infinitive. Other elements go outside this block.

• Time words (mañana, esta tarde, el lunes…): usually at the beginning or end.
• Place: normally after the verb group.
• Objects: around the infinitive, not inside ir + a.

Compare:

• Correct: Mañana voy a hablar con el jefe.
• Correct: Voy a hablar con el jefe mañana.
• Wrong: Voy hablar a con el jefe

Keep the “future block” visible: voy a hablar, van a viajar, vamos a comer.

5. Typical mistakes to avoid

• Forgetting the preposition a
  • Correct: Voy a viajar mañana.
  • Wrong: Voy viajar mañana.
• Conjugating the infinitive
  • Correct: Ella va a trabajar en casa.
  • Wrong: Ella va a trabaja, Ella va a trabajaré
• Using the wrong person of ir
  • “yo” → voy, not vas
  • “ellos” → van, not vais
  • “nosotros” → vamos, not van
• Repeating the subject when it is not needed in Spanish
  • Spanish can drop the pronoun if the context is clear: Voy a viajar (instead of “Yo voy…”).
  • As a learner, using the pronoun is fine. It helps you choose the correct form of ir.

6. When to use this future (and when not)

• Use ir + a + infinitive for:
  • Plans and decisions: Esta tarde voy a estudiar.
  • Fixed arrangements: El lunes vamos a tener una reunión.
  • Personal intentions: Voy a llamar al cliente.
• At A1, you can also use present tense + future time word:
  • Mañana trabajo en casa.
  • Mañana voy a trabajar en casa.
  • Both are natural. Ir + a makes the future idea very clear.
• The simple future (trabajaré, viajaré…) is more advanced. You do not need it now for basic communication.

7. Step-by-step: build your own sentences

1. Choose the subject (who?): yo / tú / él / ella / usted / nosotros / vosotros / ellos / ellas / ustedes.
2. Pick the correct form of ir:
   • yo → voy
   • tú → vas
   • él / ella / usted → va
   • nosotros / nosotras → vamos
   • vosotros / vosotras → vais
   • ellos / ellas / ustedes → van
3. Add a.
4. Add the infinitive (basic verb form): trabajar, visitar, comer, viajar…
5. Optional: add time, place, or other details.

Example building:

1. We → nosotros
2. nosotros → vamos
3. Add a: vamos a
4. Infinitive: viajar → vamos a viajar
5. Add time/place: en julio a Italia

Final sentence: Nosotros vamos a viajar a Italia en julio.

8. Quick self-check: do you really understand it?

• Can you complete these from memory?
  • Yo ____ a estudiar esta noche.
  • Tú ____ a llamar al cliente.
  • Nosotros ____ a viajar en verano.
  • Ellos ____ a comer en un restaurante.

Answers:

• Yo voy a estudiar esta noche.
• Tú vas a llamar al cliente.
• Nosotros vamos a viajar en verano.
• Ellos van a comer en un restaurante.

• If you got them all right, you control the basic pattern.
• If not, focus only on memorising the six forms of ir, then come back.

9. What to pay special attention to

• Always include the “a”: voy a…, vas a…, va a…
• Never conjugate the second verb: it stays in the infinitive.
• Match the subject and the form of ir carefully.
• Use time expressions (mañana, esta tarde, este verano, el lunes…) to make your future clearer.

If you can read a sentence and clearly see the block ir + a + infinitive, you are using the near future correctly.