8.1 Another Common Irregular
Ir is an irregular that, unlike ser and estar, has a pretty straightforward definition. It simply means "to go."
Yo voy a la tienda
I go to the store
These are the present tense conjugations for ir:
8.2 Using the Fake Future
Its best secret, though, is that by learning ir in the present, you now know a future tense! It is formed like so:
[ir conjugated] + a + [infinitive of verb being performed]
Voy a comer.
I am going to eat.
Va a estudiar mañana.
He is going to study tomorrow.
Vamos a beber las cervezas.
We are going to drink the beers.
Some people refer to this tense as the fake future. Why? There's actually a different future tense that we'll learn about later. However the fake future is incredibly common (especially in Latin America) as a stand-in for that other future tense. It usually indicates an intention or a degree of immediacy, but that's really handy, especially for beginning learners. Think about how in English we can say "I am going to do my homework" or we can say "I will do my homework."
8.3 Formation of the Fake Future
The Fake Future
indicates upcoming actions using the present form of ir + a + the infinitive of the action being performed.
Forming the fake future with regular verbs:
8.4 Examples Using the Fake Future
Below are some more examples of how you can use the fake future tense in the real world:
Yo voy a hablar en la conferencia mañana.
I am going to speak at the conference tomorrow.
Vamos a comer en el nuevo restaurante esta noche.
We are going to eat in the new restaurant tonight.
Vais a vivir en el nuevo apartamento pronto.
You are going to live in the new apartment soon.
Look at that! You learned a new verb and a whole new tense with it. Your future is looking bright!
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 8