[Ir a + Infinitive]: The 'Going To' Chunk

The Chunk: [Ir (conjugated)] + a + [infinitive]

Ir a + infinitive means "to be going to do something" – and it's the most common way to express the future in everyday Spanish. If you want to say what you're going to do, this is the chunk you need.

You conjugate ir to match the person, add a, and then the infinitive of whatever you're going to do. Same shape as tener que, acabar de, and hay que – but with a completely different meaning: the future.

Why This Chunk Is Critical

• Highest frequency: It's the most-used way to express the future in Spanish – far more common in speech than the future tense (hablaré, comerás...).
• Everyday necessity: You'll use it constantly – for plans, intentions, predictions, and immediate future actions.
• Low processing load: Once learned, it's a single retrieval – conjugate ir, add a, add the infinitive.

Examples Across Different Subjects

Here's the chunk in action with all the key conjugations of ir:

Ir a + Infinitive vs. The Future Tense

Spanish has two ways to express the future. Understanding the difference will help you sound natural:

Building Your Own Chunks

Once you know the pattern, plug in any infinitive to talk about what you're going to do:

Key Rules for This Chunk

• Ir is conjugated to match the person (yo → voy, tú → vas, etc.).
• A is always required – it's the bridge between "going" and the action.
• The second verb is always in the infinitive – never conjugated.

Common Chunks with Ir a

Here are some high-frequency chunks that use this pattern:

• Voy a ver. — I'm going to see. / Let me see. / We'll see.
• Vamos a ver. — Let's see. / We'll see.
• Va a ser que sí. — It's going to be yes. (Colloquial agreement.)
• Vas a ver. — You'll see.
• Voy a ir. — I'm going to go.
• Va a llover. — It's going to rain.
• Vamos a verlo. — Let's see it.

Why This Matters for Your Fluency

Treating Ir a + infinitive as a single chunk rather than assembling it from rules is exactly how native speakers use it. It's the workhorse of the Spanish future – once internalised, you'll use it for plans, intentions, predictions, and immediate future actions without a second thought.

🧠 Memory Tricks to Make Them Stick

Practice: Ir a in Real Chunks

Everyday Plans

• Voy a ir al gimnasio. — I'm going to go to the gym.
• Vamos a cenar fuera. — We're going to have dinner out.
• Va a venir mañana. — He/she is going to come tomorrow.
• Van a mudarse a Madrid. — They're going to move to Madrid.

Intentions

• Voy a intentarlo. — I'm going to try it.
• Vas a arrepentirte. — You're going to regret it.
• Vamos a ayudarte. — We're going to help you.
• Va a cambiar todo. — It's going to change everything.

Predictions

• Va a llover. — It's going to rain.
• Vas a ver que tengo razón. — You're going to see I'm right.
• Vamos a pasarlo bien. — We're going to have a good time.
• Van a ganar. — They're going to win.

Everyday Phrases

• Vamos a ver. — Let's see.
• Voy a ver qué pasa. — I'm going to see what happens.
• ¿Qué vas a hacer? — What are you going to do?
• ¿Vas a venir? — Are you going to come?

Questions

• ¿Qué vamos a hacer hoy? — What are we going to do today?
• ¿Cuándo vas a llegar? — When are you going to arrive?
• ¿Van a venir ellos también? — Are they going to come too?
• ¿Vas a decírmelo o no? — Are you going to tell me or not?

Key Takeaways

• Ir a + infinitive = "to be going to do something" (the everyday future).
• The a is required – ir alone means "to go."
• Same structure as tener que – conjugate, add connector, add infinitive.
• Ir is irregular – voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.
• More common than the future tense in everyday speech – the future tense is more formal and used for distant or predicted events.
• Standard everywhere: Used identically in Spain and Latin America.