Verb of the week: ir

Verb of the week: ir

Ir means 'to go' and it is one of the most useful verbs in Spanish. It can also be used as a simple way to form sentences in the future tense.

In English, we tend to use the appropriate conjugation of the verb 'to be' (I am, he is, they are, you are) plus the gerund 'going'. Rarely do we say “I go to the shops”, we say “I am going to the shops”.

In English, there are only two conjugations in the present tense:       
         
he/she/it goes
             I/you/we/they go

In the past tense, there is only one form of the verb: went

Of course, in Spanish, there's a full set:

                                        Present                  Preterite               
yo                                     voy                         fui                         
tú                                     vas                         fuiste                    
él/ella/usted                    va                           fue                        
nosotros                          vamos                     fuimos                   
vosotros                          vais                        fuisteis                 
ellos/ellas/ustedes          van                         fueron                   

Past participle: ido
Gerund: yendo

Examples:

Present: Vamos al cine esta noche – we are going to the cinema tonight
Present: Me voy a la cama – I am going to bed
Infinitive: ¿Quieres ir conmigo? – do you want to go with me?
Infinitive: Podemos ir al supermercado el viernes – we can go to the supermarket on Friday.
Present continuous: Estoy yendo ahora – I am going now

Perfect: He ido allí muchas veces – I have gone there many times
Past: Fui a Grecia el año pasado – I went to Greece last year
Past: Fuimos a ver a mi tía ayer – we went to see my aunt yesterday
Past: ¿A dónde fuiste de vacaciones? – where did you go on holidays?
Past and future: Fuimos a esquiar en Val Thorens y vamos a ir allí de nuevo en abril – we went skiing in Val Thorens and we are going to go there again in April

Future tense

To use ir to create sentences in the future tense, use the correct conjugation of ir in the present tense, followed by the infinitive of the verb you want to use in the future tense. Por ejemplo:

       Voy a pagar con tarjeta – I am going to pay by card
          Vamos a ir de compras mañana – let's go shopping tomorrow

          ¿Vas a estar aquí mañana por la noche? - are you going to be here tomorrow night?

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