The Spanish Verb IR

The Spanish Verb IR (to go)

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The verb “ir” (to go) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish. It can be used for everything from announcing where you are going to what you are going to do.

Ir happens to be a highly irregular verb. Like ser, it doesn’t follow the normal patterns for verb conjugations. Can you imagine why? For example, try to conjugate ir by taking the infinitive –ir ending away … and you’ll find there’s nothing left!

Therefore, you’ll have to memorize the following pattern for ir in the present tense:

 

Going To a Place

If you want to say, “I am going to the beach,” in English, you know that you’ll have to add the word “to” after the verb “to go.” Similarly, in Spanish, the verb ir is almost always followed by “a.” For example, the preceding sentence would be translated as Voy a la playa.

If the noun that follows the “a” is masculine singular, as in “el mercado,” you must combine the two sounds of “a” and “el” into a single sound: “al.”

a + el = al

For example, if you wanted to say that you were going to the market, you would say, “Voy al mercado” … NOT Voy a el mercado.

Por ejemplo:

 

Using IR to Talk about What is Going to Happen

The simplest way to express that something is going to happen in the future is to use the verb to go—just as it was used in this sentence.

I’m going to walk to the beach.
- (Voy a caminar a la playa.)

In order to express what is going to happen, add the appropriate conjugated form of ir plus “a” before the infinitive form of the verb.

- He   is going   to read.
  Él    va a        leer.
- We are going     to eat.
  Vamos a           comer.

Por ejemplo:

Next lesson, you'll learn about How to Ask Questions in Spanish

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