¿quieres ir?
The phrase "do you want to go" in Spanish is expressed as ¿quieres ir?
This phrase is a question used to ask if someone would like to travel to a place.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the conjugated verb querer (to want) and the infinitive ir (to go).
Which one should you use?
While ¿quieres ir? asks about the desire to travel or move, ¿quieres? alone simply asks "Do you want [it]?"
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the formal "you" (usted), change quieres to quiere to form ¿quiere ir? When specifying a destination, you must add the preposition a after the verb ir, such as in ¿quieres ir a…?
When do people say it?
If you want to decline the invitation, use the negative form of the verb querer as in No, no quiero.
Did you know?
- The past tense of ir is so unusual that the word for 'I went' (fui) is identical to the word for 'I was'.
- To sound more natural and less direct, many Spanish speakers substitute ¿quieres ir? with ¿te apetece ir?, which asks if someone 'feels like' going.
- In some Spanish speaking cultures, asking ¿quieres ir? can be a subtle way to suggest a romantic date without explicitly using a word for 'date'.
Examples in context
- Los extranjeros están participando en un torneo de tenis, ¿quieres ir?The foreigners are having a tennis tournament. Do you want to go?This sentence is useful for seeing how to use ¿quieres ir? when mentioning a tournament.Tatoeba #1831895 by Shishir, translation #1831859 by Scott
- ¿Quiere usted ir al concierto conmigo?Do you want to go to the concert with me?
- ¿Quieres ir a ver una película?Do you want to go watch a movie?
- ¿Le gustaría ir a cenar esta noche?Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are talking about their weekend plans.
- SofíaMañana abrirán un parque nuevo, ¿quieres ir?They are opening a new park tomorrow, do you want to go?
- AlejandroSí, me encantaría ir contigo, Sofía.Yes, I would love to go with you, Sofía.
- Sofía¿A qué hora nos vemos?What time shall we meet?
- AlejandroPodemos ir a las diez de la mañana.We can go at ten in the morning.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
