Spanish Language Blog
Menu
Search

Expressions with “ir” (to go) Posted by on May 22, 2008 in Spanish Vocabulary

The verb ir, like its English counterpart to go, has several meanings and sometimes you can´t figure them out by considering indivual parts of the expression. “Ir” is usually used with the preposition a, when it means direction or future time:

Voy a estudiar para la prueba. – I´m going to study for the test.
Voy a la iglesia los domingos por la mañana. – I go to church on Sunday mornings.

Here are some other common uses of ir:

1. Ir en + name of the vehicle – to go, travel (by a certain vehicle)
¿Cómo vas a la escuela? Voy en autobús. (How do you go to school? I go by bus.)

2. Ir para + verb – to go in order to do something
Mi hermano va para conocer los padres de su novia. – My brother is going to meet his girlfriend´s parents.

3. Ir para + job – be likely to become
Juan va para abogado. – Juan is going to become a lawyer.

4. Ir + gerund – to do something, usually slowly or laboriously
Voy aprendiendo español. – I´m learning Spanish (little by little).

5. Ir tirando – to get by, make ends meet
¿Cómo van tus estudios? Voy tirando. (How are you getting along with your studies? Well, I´m getting by.)

6. Ir de – 1. to be about (movie, book); 2. to think about yourself as.
La película Into the Wild va de un muchacho que dejó todo por seguir en un viaje hacia Alaska. (The movie Into the Wild is about a guy who left everything to go on a trip towards Alaska.)
María va de muy inteligente pero por poco no suspende algunas asignaturas. (Maria thinks she´s smart but she almost flunked some subjects.)

7. Ir por – 1. to search for; 2. fetch; 3.to be at a certain point (task)
Vamos por una escuela para nuestra hija. (We´re looking for a school for our daughter.)
Voy a la tienda por leche. (I’m going to the shop to get some milk.)
Maestra, no se preocupe; ya voy por la mitad del libro. Prontito lo termino. (Miss, don´t worry; I´m halfway through the book. I´ll finish it pretty soon.)

8. Irse – to go away
¡Vete de aquí ahora, no quiero verte más! (Go away now, I don´t want to see you anymore!)

See you next time!

Keep learning Spanish with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

About the Author: Transparent Language

Transparent Language is a leading provider of best-practice language learning software for consumers, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses. We want everyone to love learning language as much as we do, so we provide a large offering of free resources and social media communities to help you do just that!


Comments:

  1. xavier lynch:

    i found this very helpful. cleared up some things i’ve hearing and not quite understanding

  2. Scott:

    Very good explanation, thank you!

  3. Myron G.:

    Howdy! Thanks for all this great information!I was curious; can you point me in the direction of some good material for furthering reading on this sort of stuff? Thanks!