ir a
/iɾ a/from spelling rules
The English phrase "to go to" is translated into Spanish as ir a.
While the preposition a implies movement toward a place, you may also encounter hacia to convey movement in the general direction of a place or para to imply direction toward a specific destination. Additionally, when ir a is followed by an infinitive, it is used to express the near future, similar to "going to" in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the first-person singular, the conjugation of the verb is voy, so "I am going to" is expressed as voy a. When ir a is followed by a masculine singular noun starting with el, the a and el must contract into al.
How do you pronounce it?
/iɾ a/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using ir a to mean "to go" in the sense of "to leave" or "to depart". In Spanish, ir a specifically indicates movement toward a destination.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase irse por las ramas literally means 'to go through the branches'. It is used idiomatically to describe someone who is beating around the bush or avoiding the main point of a conversation.
- The Spanish verb ir is a linguistic mosaic. While its name comes from the Latin 'īre', the first-person form voy actually comes from the Latin 'vādere', and the past tense fui is borrowed from the verb 'to be'.
- To say you are 'going as' a certain character or wearing a costume, Spanish speakers use ir de instead of ir a.
Examples in context
- Voy a ir al cine.I'm going to go to the movies.Tatoeba #1481669 by marcelostockle, translation #26481 by CK
- Quiero ir a Bali.I want to go to Bali.Tatoeba #5043017 by don_ramon, translation #4218086 by Hybrid
- Quiero ir a Kioto.I want to go to Kyoto.Tatoeba #630780 by Leono, translation #378543 by saeb
- Voy a la tiendaI'm going to the store
- Nos encaminamos al edificio principalWe are heading towards the main building
- Me voy al cineI'm going to the movies
- Me marcho a casaI'm off home
- Vamos a la fiestaWe're going to the party
- Camino hacia la ciudadI am walking towards the city
- Salgo para el trabajoI'm leaving for work
- Me voy pa' la playa con mis panasI'm going to the beach with my friends
- Vamos al parque a jugar fútbol con nuestros amigosWe're going to the park to play soccer with our friends
- 601 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are talking about their weekend plans.
- Lucía¿Vas a ir a la fiesta mañana?Are you going to go to the party tomorrow?
- MateoSí, voy a ir a la fiesta con mis amigos.Yes, I am going to go to the party with my friends.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Yo también quiero ir a la fiesta.That's great! I want to go to the party too.
- MateoEntonces nos vemos allí.Then I will see you there.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, ir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
