Ir a + Infinitive: Talking About Plans in Spanish

English says “I'm going to call.” Spanish builds almost the same sentence: voy + a + llamar. It's one of the easiest ways to talk about the future, because only one thing changes: the form of ir. The a is always there, and the second verb always stays in the infinitive — llamar, comer, salir.

The formula: ir + a + infinitive

Ir (to go) is irregular, so its six present forms are worth learning as a set. Everything after them stays the same.

The vosotros form (vais a) is the informal “you all” of Spain; in Latin America, ustedes van a covers every plural “you.” As usual, the subject pronoun is often dropped: Voy a llamar is enough.

Plans and things about to happen

Plans and intentions. The most common use: saying what you (or others) have decided to do.

What looks about to happen. When you can see the signs, ir a works like English “it's going to…”.

Time words. These often go at the start or the end of the sentence. For “next,” both que viene and próximo/a are common and correct.

Good to know: Spanish also uses the plain present for fixed near plans — Mañana trabajo. — and it has a one-word future (llamaré, lloverá) that you'll meet later. In everyday conversation, ir a + infinitive is extremely common everywhere, and in much of Latin America it's the usual spoken way to talk about the future; the one-word future is more frequent in writing and formal speech.

Going to a place vs going to do something

After ir a, look at the next word. A place names the destination; an infinitive often expresses a plan or a prediction. Depending on the context, ir a + infinitive can also describe going somewhere to do something.

Al (a + el) appears before a noun that takes the article el: al cine, al parque. In ir a + infinitive there is no el, so it stays plain a: Voy a comer, never “voy al comer.” And the two can combine: Voy a ir al cine (I'm going to go to the movies) is completely normal.

Negatives, questions and pronouns

No goes before the verb group. With no pronoun, it comes directly before ir; with a pronoun before ir, it precedes the pronoun: No lo voy a comprar (“I am not going to buy it”). Yes/no questions can keep the statement’s word order and use question intonation. Questions with qué, cuándo or another question word usually start with that word.

Two places for pronouns. A short pronoun like lo or la can go before ir or be attached to the end of the infinitive. Both are correct everywhere; just don't put it between the two parts.

One more thing: vamos a + infinitive can also mean “let's…”. Said as an invitation, ¡Vamos a comer! means “Let's eat!”; as a plain statement, Vamos a comer a las dos means “We're going to eat at two.” Context and intonation tell you which.

Common mistakes

Dropping the a. The a links ir and the infinitive, like “to” in “going to call.” It can't be left out.

Conjugating the second verb. Only ir shows the person; the verb after a stays in the infinitive.

The wrong form of ir. Va a is easy to learn as one chunk, but ir must agree with the subject: yo takes voy.

Copying the English -ing. “I'm going to” has -ing, but Spanish uses the simple present of ir here, not estar + yendo.

Not a mistake: “vamos a la playa mañana.” Learners sometimes think a future plan must use vamos a ir. It doesn't have to — both sentences are correct.

The first uses the present of ir with a future time word; the second uses ir a + infinitive. The meaning is practically the same.

Quick exercise

Complete each sentence with the right form of ir a + the verb in brackets.

1. Mañana (yo) ___ a mi madre. (llamar)
2. ¿Qué ___ (tú) este fin de semana? (hacer)
3. El cielo está muy gris: ___. (llover)
4. Esta noche (nosotros) no ___. (salir)
5. Marta y Luis ___ una casa en el campo. (comprar)
6. ¿___ (vosotros) a la fiesta el sábado? (venir)
7. Usted ___ el tren de las ocho. (tomar)
8. Esta tarde (yo) ___ al gimnasio. (ir)