Ir + a + Infinitive (Near Future)
Ir + a + Infinitive (Near Future)
English's 'going to' and Spanish's ir a are close enough in structure that this one transfers almost directly — both literally use the verb 'to go' to talk about the near future.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Ir (to go) + a + infinitive
voy a comer (I'm going to eat), vamos a viajar (we're going to travel)
I'm going to eat, we're going to travel — the exact same 'go' + 'to' + verb shape
Both languages build near-future plans the same way: conjugate 'to go' for the subject, then add the base form of the main verb. Voy a comer maps almost word-for-word onto 'I'm going to eat' — this is one of the rare grammar points where the English structure is a reliable guide to the Spanish one.
One difference: the linking 'a' is never optional
voy a estudiar (never 'voy estudiar')
I'm going to study — 'to' can occasionally be dropped in casual speech ('I'm gonna study')
Spanish's a between ir and the infinitive is a fixed, required word — it never disappears, even in the most casual speech. English 'to' sometimes gets swallowed into 'gonna' in fast speech, but Spanish gives you no equivalent shortcut to drop the a.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- English
- I'm going to eat
- English
- you're going to study
- English
- it's going to rain
- English
- we're going to travel
- English
- they're going to arrive
- English
- I'm going to sleep
- English
- you're going to work
- English
- he's going to call
- English
- we're going to start
- English
- I'm going to buy