¡Hola! ¿Cómo estáis?

In this Spanish lesson we are going to see how to describe future plans in Spanish using el verbo “Ir” (the verb “To go”) followed by “a” (to) and a verb in the infinitive. This Spanish future tense is very similar to the English future tense that uses “Going to…” followed by a verb in infinitive, also to describe future plans.

Because there are so many similarities between the English and Spanish versions of this tense it is quite easy to learn and use it. The key is to be absolutely clear on how to form el verbo “Ir” for all the persons (voy a, vas a, va a, vamos a, váis a, and van a) and to have lots of Spanish verbs up your sleeve.

Let’s now look at various examples of this Spanish future tense in use:

(To recap, this tense is formed with: Ir + a + infinitivo: To go + to + infinitive verb)

• (Yo) voy a ……..: I am going to……
Voy a comer: I am going to eat
Voy a estudiar: I am going to study

• (Tú) vas a ………: You are going to…….. (friendly)
¿Vas a leer?: Are you going to read? (friendly)
¿Vas a venir?: Are you going to come? (friendly)

• (Usted) va a ………: You are going to….. (formal)
¿Va a leer?: Are you going to read? (formal)
¿Va a venir?: Are you going to come? (formal)

• (Él/Ella) va a ………: He/she is going to……
Pedro va a comprar: Pedro is going to buy
Ana va a dormir: Ana is going to sleep

• (Nosotros/as) vamos a ………..: We are going to……
Vamos a nadar: We are going to swim / Let´s swim
Vamos a hablar: We are going to talk / Let´s talk

• (Vosotros/as) váis a ……….: You are going to….. (group/friendly)
¿Váis a escribir?: Are you going to write? (group/friendly)
¿Váis a cantar?: Are you going to sing? (group/friendly)

• (Ustedes) van a ……….: You are going to…… (group/formal)
¿Van a escribir?: Are you going to write? (group/formal)
¿Van a cantar?: Are you going to sing? (group/formal)

• (Ellos/as) van a ……..: They are going to……
Carlos y Sonia van a cenar: Carlos and Sonia are going to dine
Mis amigos van a bailar: My friends are going to dance

Next, let’s see some useful Spanish vocabulary commonly used with this future tense:

• Luego: Later
• Después: Later
• Más tarde: Later
Luego/Después/Más tarde voy a visitar a mi hermano: Later I am going to visit my brother

• Esta tarde: This afternoon
Esta tarde vamos a ir al cine: This afternoon we are going to the cinema

• Esta noche: Tonight/This evening
Esta noche Silvia va a cenar en un restaurant: This evening Silvia is going to dine in a restaurant

• Este fin de semana: This weekend
¿Vas a venir este fin de semana?: ¿Are you coming this weekend?

• Este verano: This summer
Vamos a viajar a India este verano: We are going to travel to India this summer

• Mañana: Tomorrow
Mañana voy a ver a mis padres: Tomorrow I am going to see my parents

• Pasado mañana: The day after tomorrow
¿Vas a hacer el examen pasado mañana?: Are you going to do the exam the day after tomorrow?

• La próxima semana: Next week
• La semana que viene: Next week
La próxima semana/la semana que viene vamos a ver esta película: Next week we are going to watch this movie.

• El próximo mes: Next month
• El mes que viene: Next month
El próximo mes/ el mes que viene voy a empezar un curso de español: Next month I am going to start a Spanish course

This Ir + a + infinitive Spanish future tense is really nice to use as it translates so easily to the English equivalent “Going to” and is easy to conjugate for all persons. The verb that follows is always in inifinitive and so there is no need to worry about changing the verb endings for the different persons.

The only thing you need to do is to remember the voy a, vas a, va a, vamos a, váis a, and van a and be clear that this future tense is used to describe future plans in Spanish. There are other Spanish future tenses which are used for different purposes and we will see in other lessons. Don’t worry, because they are also quite straightforward.

At this time I would definitely recommend reviewing your Spanish verbs and trying to build up your repertoire. Try working on collecting about ten new verbs from your dictionary every day and practice using them in practice sentences and conversation.

I hope you are enjoying my weekly Spanish lessons. Follow this link for many more great resources to help you learn Spanish.

Have a great day and see you very soon with more Spanish.

¡Hasta luego!