Me tengo que ir
/me tenɡo ke iɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I got to go" is translated into Spanish as Me tengo que ir.
Other ways to express this include Tengo que irme, which is a straightforward way to say "I got to go" in a neutral tone and Necesito retirarme, which indicates the necessity to withdraw or leave.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you want to be informal, you can use Tengo que largarme, which uses largarme as an informal way of saying "go" or "leave". For slang, you can say Me tengo que pirar, using the slang term pirar.
How does it change in a sentence?
The reflexive pronoun me can be attached to the end of the infinitive irme instead of being placed before the conjugated verb tengo, resulting in Tengo que irme.
How do you pronounce it?
/me tenɡo ke iɾ/
Did you know?
- The Spanish verb for 'to go' ir is a linguistic patchwork. Its present tense forms like voy come from the Latin 'vādere' and its past tense forms like fui actually come from the Latin verb for 'to be'.
- While Me tengo que ir expresses a need to leave, Spanish speakers often use the phrase Me voy to signal the start of a long, social goodbye process that can take several minutes.
- While ir means 'to go', if you use the slang term pirar in the phrase Me tengo que pirar, you are using a word that originally meant 'to steal' or 'to pilfer'.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, pero tengo que irme. El próximo encuentro es dentro de dos semanas.Excuse me, but I got to go. The next meeting is in two weeks.
- Oye, tengo que largarme. Mañana tenemos una reunión importante.Hey, I got to go. We have an important meeting tomorrow.
- Lo siento, pero me tengo que ir ya.I'm sorry, but I have to go now.
- Me tengo que ir ahora.I got to go now.
- Perdón, pero me tengo que ir.Sorry, but I got to go.
- Me tengo que ir a trabajar.I got to go to work.
Example conversation
Alejandro is leaving a coffee shop where he is meeting Lucía.
- AlejandroLucía, me tengo que ir ya.Lucía, I got to go now.
- Lucía¿Tan pronto, Alejandro?So soon, Alejandro?
- AlejandroSí, tengo una reunión importante.Yes, I have an important meeting.
- LucíaEstá bien, nos vemos luego.Alright, see you later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ir, me, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
