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 cool interactive exercises. 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: «Vas a tener miles de problemas» (You will have thousands of problems); very often, it implies purpose or intention on the part of the subject: «Te voy a leer una carta de mi padre» (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:
- Él va a dar el discurso. (He’s going to give the speech)
- Ella dará el discurso. (She will give the speech)
If you are not familiar with the conjugation rules for Spanish verbs in the future, then the “IR A + Infinitive” can help a lot. 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. Take a look at the sample sentences in the picture below:
Interactive exercise No. 1
Drag and drop the conjugations of the verb IR in Spanish into the correct boxes, and then check your answers.
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 |
In the previous chart, we can see that the verb IR changes its form for each personal pronoun as it is irregular. The main verb of the sentence will remain in the infinitive form, just as shown in the last column of the table. Likewise, we can add circumstantial time complements (CCT in Spanish) to indicate when the action will be executed. Besides, we will have to conjugate verbs reflexively such as dormirse ( to sleep) or reunirse (to gather) appropriately when we need them. Read and analyze the next group of sentences with “ir a + infinitive” in Spanish:
As shown in the previous examples, it is very common to use expressions like “mañana” (tomorrow), “el próximo mes” (next month), “en mi próximo cumpleaños” (“on my next birthday), etc., which serve as adverbial phrases of time to indicate when we will perform the action. The image below presents a few more examples:
Interactive exercise No. 2
Read each sentence and choose the correct verb combination to talk about future events in Spanish with IR + a + infinitive.
In the sample sentences above, phrases like “la próxima semana” (next week), “el próximo año” (next year) represent the time complement that we have already mentioned. As you can tell, it is essential to use the correct forms of IR in the present tense so that sentences make sense in the future too. 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.
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Yo voy a navegar los 7 mares.
I’m going to sail the 7 seas.
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Tú vas a conocer a mi familia esta noche.
You are going to meet my family tonight.
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¿Vos vas a ir conmigo?
Are you going to go with me?
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Usted va a trabajar con Karla en el nuevo proyecto.
You are going to work with Karla on the new project.
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Yelsin va a viajar conmigo por Europa.
Yelsin is going to travel with me around Europe.
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Amaya va a salir pronto.
Amaya is going to leave soon.
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Luis, Byron y yo vamos a luchar por ese cambio.
Luis, Byron and I are going to fight for that change.
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¿Vosotros vais a continuar yendo a clases?
Are you going to continue going to class?
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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.
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Ellos van a terminar en la cárcel.
They are going to end up in jail.
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Interactive exercise No. 3
Fill in the blanks with the structure “ir + a + infinitive” using the verbs in parentheses as the main action in each sentence.
Related Spanish Worksheets:
- The Verb IR in Spanish
- Talking about the Future in Spanish
- The Future Simple of Spanish Verbs
- Irregular Verbs in Spanish in the Future Tense
- Let’s talk about the future in Spanish – Conversation cards