Hello! Welcome to a grammar lesson. On this occasion, we will learn how to talk about the future in Spanish using IR A + Infinitive. This lesson will explain how to use this structure in sentences through many useful examples. You will also have the opportunity to practice grammar with some exercises in a grammar quiz. Well, let’s get to work…
The grammatical structure IR A + Infinitive
IR A + Infinitive is a structure that is commonly used to talk about future actions in Spanish. It is very useful in different situations and it is the equivalent to the structure “be going to” from the English language, although it differs in some aspects. The Royal Spanish Academy defines IR A + infinitive as follows:
A verbal periphrasis that indicates that the action designated by the infinitive will occur in a more or less immediate future: “You will have thousands of problems”; very often, it implies purpose or intention on the part of the subject: «I am going to read you a letter from my father»
The IR A + Infinitive structure is quite common and very easy to use as compared to the future simple in Spanish since you only need to know how to conjugate the irregular verb IR and keep the verb in infinitive, that is, in its original form. For example, it is easier to say “Él va a decir el discurso” (He’s going to give the speech) than “El dirá el discurso” (He will give the speech), especially if you are not sure about the form the verb will take in the future tense. It is very common to use “IR A + Infinitive” to talk about future plans, actions in the immediate future or things you are certain that are going to happen.
Making sentences with IR A + Infinitive: examples + practice
In order to make sentences with IR A + Infinitive, it is necessary to conjugate the irregular verb IR (to go) properly so that it agrees with the subject of the sentence. If you are still unsure about the uses of the IR verb in Spanish, we invite you to watch this short video explaining how it works and its different uses.
The following table presents the basic structure that we follow when forming sentences with IR A + Infinitive in Spanish. Note that the preposition “A” is necessary in all sentences.
| Subject | IR | A | Infinitive |
| Yo | voy | a | comer |
| Tú/Vos | vas | a | cantar |
| El/Ella/Usted | va | a | salir |
| Nosotros | vamos | a | entender |
| Vosotros | vais | a | olvidar |
| Ellos/Ustedes | van | a | aprender |
Finally, here is a group of sample sentences using IR A + Infinitive to talk about the future in Spanish. As we mentioned before, we should only pay special attention to the conjugation of the IR verb in Spanish. Once you finish reviewing the examples, practice with the interactive quiz in the lesson.
|
Yo voy a navegar los 7 mares.
I’m going to sail the 7 seas.
|
|
Tú vas a conocer a mi familia esta noche.
You are going to meet my family tonight.
|
|
¿Vos vas a ir conmigo?
Are you going to go with me?
|
|
Usted va a trabajar con Karla en el nuevo proyecto.
You are going to work with Karla on the new project.
|
|
Yelsin va a viajar conmigo por Europa.
Yelsin is going to travel with me around Europe.
|
|
Amaya va a salir pronto.
Amaya is going to leave soon.
|
|
Luis, Byron y yo vamos a luchar por ese cambio.
Luis, Byron and I are going to fight for that change.
|
|
¿Vosotros vais a continuar yendo a clases?
Are you going to continue going to class?
|
|
Irlanda, Rafaela y tú van a escribir las nuevas páginas de la historia.
Ireland, Rafaela and you are going to write the new pages of history.
|
|
Ellos van a terminar en la cárcel.
They are going to end up in jail.
|