Ir a + Infinitive: How To Talk About Near Future Activities

How to talk about the near future with ir a + an infinitive verb

Oh, the joys of Spanish verb tenses and their conjugation! 😀 Learning (and remembering) how to use Spanish verb conjugations makes English speakers realize how easy they have it with their own language. But the good news is that today we’re going to practice one of the easiest future tense conjugations in the Spanish language: pronoun + ir + a + verb infinitive.

It’s called the futuro próximo in Spanish, and it’s used to talk about activities that had been planned previously, and usually in the near future. If you wanted to compare it to an English future tense, its conjugation and usage are quite similar to the “going + to + verb” future tense.

pronoun + ir + a + verb infinitive

Let’s check out how it’s formed:

💡 (Reading on a mobile device? Scroll horizontally to see the full table)

Pronoun	Ir	A + verb	Infinitive verb	Pronunciation	English Translation
Yo	voy	a	limpiar	Yoh voi ah lim-pee-AHR	I’m going to clean.
Tú	vas	a	comer	Too vahs ah koh-MER	You’re going to eat.
Él/Ella/Usted	va	a	jugar	El / e-yah / oos-TED vah ah hu-GAHR	He/She is / You are (formal) going to play.
Nosotros	vamos	a	ayudar	Noh-SOH-trohs VAH-mohs ah ah-yoo-DAHR	We’re going to help.
Ellos/ellas/ustedes	van	a	votar	E-yos / e-yas / oos- TED-es vahn ah voh-TAHR	They / you (plural) are going to vote.

Remember it’s very common in Spanish to omit the pronoun because the verb form and the context usually imply who you are referring to. So it’s more common to hear “voy a llevarme la mochila”, than “Yo voy a llevarme la mochila” (I’m going to take the backpack).

Sample conversation

Here’s a short conversation where the speakers use this future tense so you can see it in action:

Spanish version

English version

Tania: ¡Hola Omar! ¿Qué tal? Dime, qué vas a hacer más tarde? Omar: ¡Hola Tania! Todo bien. Voy a ir a la pollada de Jorge.   Tania: Oh mira. ¿Y por qué va a organizar una pollada? Omar: Porque su padre se va a operar y les falta dinero. Tania: Entiendo. Vamos a ir a una fiesta, mi hermana y yo, y quería invitarte, pero veo que estás ocupado. Omar: Gracias por pensar en mi. ¡La próxima será! Y.. ¿no vas a pedirme una pollada para apoyar? Jorge y su primo van a entregar los pedidos a las 3 de la tarde. Tania: Claro. Traéme una pollada. Lo voy a comer antes de ir a la fiesta. Gracias y ¡suerte!

Tania: Hi Omar! What’s up? Tell me, what are you going to do later? Omar: Hi Tania! All good. I’m going to go to Jorge’s pollada*. Tania: Oh, I see. And why is he going to organize a pollada? Omar: Because his father is going to have an operation and they need more money. Tania: I understand. We’re going to go to a party, my sister and I, and I wanted to invite you, but I can see you’re busy. Omar: Thanks for thinking about me. Next time! And.. aren’t you going to order a pollada to contribute? Jorge and his cousin are going to deliver the orders at 3 in the afternoon. Tania: Sure. Bring me one pollada. I’m going to eat it before going to the party. Thanks and good luck!

*(Una) pollada is a very common Peruvian type of popular fundraiser that people organize if they need some extra money quickly, often for an operation, studies or to buy work equipment they need. Friends and family gather together to prepare a large number of portions of fried chicken with potatoes and salad to sell to their acquaintances.

You can either get your pollada and eat it at home, or go to the pollada and also knock back a few of the beers which are typically sold there to make a few more soles. This offline crowdfunding method makes for a great party neighborhood party!

Common questions and expressions with ir + a + infinitive

Here are some ir + a + infinitive sentences that you’ll hear across Latin America.

Spanish sentence	Pronunciation	English translation
Las tiendas van a cerrar más temprano hoy.	Lahs TYEN-dahs vahn ah ce-RAHR mahs tem-PRAH-noh oy.	The shops are going to close earlier today.
Vamos a probar este plato típico.	VAH-mohs ah proh-BAHR ES-te PLA-toh.	We’re going to try this traditional dish.
El tratamiento no te va a doler.	El trah-tah-MYEN-toh noh te vah ah doh-LER.	The treatment isn’t going to hurt.
Voy a mudarme de casa en dos semanas.	Voy ah moo-DAHR-me de KAH-sah en se-MAH-nahs.	I’m going to move to a new house in two weeks.
¿Qué vas a hacer más tarde?	Ke vahs ah hah-SER mahs TAHR-de.	What are you going to do later?
¿A dónde va a viajar tu jefe?	Ah DOHN-de vah ah vee-a-HAR too HE-fe?	Where is your boss going to travel?
¿Por qué no van a visitarme a mi casa?	Pohr ke noh vahn ah vee-see-TAHR-me ah mee KAH-sah?	Why aren’t you going to visit me at my house?

We hope this has helped you practice the near future a little! You probably noticed it’s a really easy tense to use where all you have to know is how to conjugate the verb ir. Time to get out there and tell all your Latino friends about your future plans!

¿Nos vas a contar como te fue? Chau!