Conjugating the verb IR in Spanish: examples and exercises

¡Hola! Thank you for learning Spanish with us. In this lesson, we will learn how to conjugate the verb “ir” in Spanish and how to use it to talk about places, activities, and future plans in Spanish. The lesson includes many examples and interactive exercises. Let’s get started…

Conjugating the verb IR in the present tense

The verb “ir” is probably one of the most common and useful verbs in Spanish. It is one of several essential irregular verbs, which means we must memorize its conjugations, as its root will not change based on the rules for regular verbs like AMAR (to love), VIVIR (to live), or COMER (to eat). The verb “ir” will be conjugated as follows in the present tense:

conjugating the verb IR in Spanish in the present tense

Oftentimes, the verb “IR” is used along with the preposition “A” when referring to places around town we regularly visit as part of our daily routine. This way, we can say “Yo voy a…” (I go to), “Tú vas a” (you go to), plus the name of a place. Here are some examples of sentences using the conjugations of verb “IR” in the present tense:

Yo voy al cine todos los fines de semana.
I go to the movies every weekend.
Tú vas a la piscina conmigo.
You go to the pool with me.
¿Pedro va al gimnasio cada mañana?
Does Pedro go to the gym every morning?
Nosotros nos vamos temprano a la oficina.
We go early to the office.
Vosotros vais a séptimo grado.
You are going to be in seventh grade.
Ellos van a la escuela todos los días.
They go to school every day.
Ustedes van conmigo.
You’re going with me.

Pay attention to the first example. Notice that in this particular case, we don’t say “Voy a el cine”, but rather “Voy al cine”. The particle “AL” comes from joining the preposition “A” with the definite article “EL,” but instead of saying “a el” we’ll say “al.” This is only possible with masculine nouns like “cine” or “gimnasio.” In the case of a feminine noun like “escuela,” we must keep both words separate, for example: “Voy a la escuela.”

Interactive quiz no. 1

Write the conjugations of the verb IR in the present tense to complete these sentences.

The verb “ir” in reflexive form

It is also quite common to use the verb “ir” alongside reflexive pronouns, as a reflexive verb on its own, or by itself without a pronoun, as in these examples:

¡Vamos equipo! ¡Vamos!
Come on team! Come on!
¡Vámonos! El tren pasará en 10 minutos.
Let’s go! The train will be here in 10 minutes.
Me voy porque ya es tarde.
I’m leaving because it’s late
¿Ya te vas?
Are you leaving already?

Using “ir + a + infinitive” for future plans

The most common way to use “ir” in Spanish is to make plans for the future. The verb “ir” is used alongside infinitive verbs like “comer” (to eat) or “salir” (to go out), and also occasionally with some reflexive verbs. First, we must add the subject of the sentence, then the present tense conjugation of “ir,” then the preposition “a” (to) followed by another infinitive verb that represents the action we will perform in the future. Pay attention to the examples in this illustration using several common verbs in the language:

As you can see in the examples in the picture, it is possible to move the complement of the sentence, placing it after the conjugation of the verb “ir,” without altering the meaning of the sentence when we talk about places like school, the gym, etc, for example:

  • Yo voy a trabajar al cine / Yo voy al cine a trabajar.
  • Ellos van a estudiar a la escuela. / Ellos van a la escuela a estudiar.

In addition, we can add a time expression related to the future such as “mañana”, “el próximo año”, “en cinco años”, etc. Listen and analyze these sample sentences:

Yo voy a jugar futbol con mis amigos mañana
I’m going to play soccer with my friends tomorrow.
Tú vas a mudarte a Madrid pronto.
You’re going to move to Madrid soon.
¿Vos vas a estudiar español el próximo año?
Are you going to study Spanish next year?
Él va a vestirse en cinco minutos.
He’s going to get dressed in five minutes.
Ella va a hacer la tarea pronto.
She is going to do her homework soon.
Usted va a terminar el prototipo en dos años.
You’re going to finish the prototype in two years.
Nosotros vamos a limpiar la casa después.
We’re going to clean the house later.
Vosotros vais a aprender a hacer instalaciones eléctricas.
You are going to learn how to make electrical installations.
Ellos van a bailar y cantar para la audiencia.
They are going to dance and sing for the audience.
Ustedes van a planear la fiesta la próxima semana.
You guys are going to plan the party next week.

Interactive quiz:

Complete these sentences with the correct form of the verb “ir” for future actions.

The verb “ir” in other tenses in Spanish

The verb “ir” also has many uses in other tenses in the language. In some tenses, its endings are predictable, but in other tenses, such as the preterite and the imperfect past tense, its conjugations are irregular, so we must memorize them. Observe and compare the forms of the verb “ir” in the present tense with its conjugations in other indicative tenses in the following image:

Conjugating the verb IR in different tenses including the past tense and future.

Here are some examples of sentences with the conjugations of “ir” in the illustration:

  1. Yo fui al hospital porque me sentía mal. (I went to the hospital because I felt sick.)
  2. Tú ibas a clases de guitarra cuando tenías 10 años. (You used to go to guitar lessons when you were 10 years old.)
  3. Él irá a la exposición con sus amigos. (He will go to the exhibition with his friends.)
  4. Nosotros hemos ido a varias ciudades de Chile. (We have been to several cities in Chile.)
  5. Ellos irían contigo al parque, pero deben hacer la tarea. (They would go with you to the park, but they must do their homework.)

Interactive quiz:

Drag the forms of the Spanish verb “ir” into the correct spaces to complete these sentences in different tenses.

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