vas a ir a la cárcel
/bas a iɾ a la kaɾθel/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you're going to jail" is translated into Spanish as vas a ir a la cárcel.
This phrase is used to state that someone will be imprisoned as a result of their actions.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase vas a ir a la cárcel literally means "you are going to go to the jail", composed of vas (you go), a ir (to go), a (to) and la cárcel (the jail).
Which one should you use?
While ir a la cárcel is the common way to say "to go to jail", the phrase ir a prisión can be used as a more formal synonym.
Is it said differently in some regions?
When addressing more than one person, use vais a ir a la cárcel in Spain and van a ir a la cárcel in Latin America.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form uses the informal tú conjugation vas. To use the formal usted version, change vas to va to say va a ir a la cárcel.
Did you know?
- In certain Latin American contexts, to say someone is 'ir a la sombra' (to go to the shadow) is a popular slang way to say they are going to jail.
- The verb ir is a 'suppletive' verb, meaning it uses completely different roots for different tenses. For example, the word for 'I go' voy comes from the Latin word 'vādere', while the word for 'I went' fui actually comes from the Latin word for 'to be'.
- In some Caribbean dialects, if you want to tell someone they are going to jail in a very informal or slang way, you might use the word trancado to describe being locked up.
Examples in context
- Si robas ese banco, vas a ir a la cárcel.If you rob that bank, you're going to jail.
- ¡Cuidado con lo que haces o vas a ir a la cárcel!Be careful with what you do or you're going to jail!
- Por ese delito, vas a ir a la cárcel.Because of that crime, you're going to jail.
Example conversation
A police officer is warning a suspect during an arrest.
- Sofía¡No te muevas, vas a ir a la cárcel!Don't move, you're going to jail!
- Javier¡No es cierto, yo no hice nada!That's not true, I didn't do anything!
- SofíaTe arresto por el robo.I am arresting you for the robbery.
- JavierEsto no puede ser verdad.This cannot be true.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, cárcel, ir, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
