Updated on January 3, 2024
Using the near future in Spanish: ir + a + infinitive
The near future tense in Spanish has this structure: ir + a + infinitive.
Ir is the Spanish verb meaning “to go.” A means “to.” Add an unconjugated verb in the infinitive and you have a phrase in the near future tense in Spanish: ir a hablar (going to talk). Conjugate the verb ir and you have a complete sentence: Voy a hablar (I am going to talk).
This structure is extremely useful because ir is the verb we use to talk about anything that will happen soon. Since the syntax is not so different from English, native English speakers usually pick up on this structure quickly. You should be able to speak about future plans long before you master full verb conjugations in the future tense.
Today, we’ll learn how the ir + a + infinitive structure is formed, why it’s different from simple future and when to use it in conversation.
We covered how to conjugate the simple future tense in Spanish before, but let’s review.
Here is a chart showing the major difference between the near future (ir + a + infinitive) and the simple future tense for the Spanish verb hablar (to talk).
| Subject | Near Future | Simple Future (conjugated) |
| yo (I) | voy a hablar (I’m going to talk) | hablaré (I will talk) |
| tú (you) | vas a hablar (you are going to talk) | hablarás (you will talk) |
| él/ella (he/she) usted (you; formal) | va a hablar (he/she is going to talk; you are going to talk) | hablará (he/she will talk; you will talk) |
| nosotros (us) | vamos a hablar (we are going to talk) | hablaremos (we will talk) |
| ellos/ellas (they) ustedes (you; plural) | van a hablar (they are going to talk; you all are going to talk) | hablarán (they will talk; you all will talk) |
What does the formula ir + a + infinitive translate to in English? As you can see above, the literal translation is “going to [insert verb],”
Though slightly different, each phrase above communicates the same idea. They can even be used in the same conversation.
Ir + a + infinitive is usually used because it’s easier. Notice that the near future phrase only requires you to conjugate one verb: ir. That’s why it’s an easy option!
The simple future requires you to memorize the conjugations for all verbs that exist. It’s the more advanced option, especially when you consider irregular verbs (spoiler alert: there are a lot of irregular verbs in the future tense).
So, let’s learn the easy way first.
When you are learning Spanish, it is typical to see this concept written in any of the following three formats in your learning materials.
Don’t worry, all three terms are correct and refer to the same thing. It is simply three different ways to demonstrate the same concept.
The near future tense will be easy for you to master due to the ir + a + infinitive formula or sentence structure. You only need to learn how to conjugate a single verb: ir.
Here is how to conjugate ir (to go) in the present tense. It’s an irregular verb, but it’s probably familiar to you already.
| Subject | Ir (conjugated) |
| yo (I) | voy |
| tú (you) | vas |
| él/ella (he/she) usted (you; formal) | va |
| nosotros (us) | vamos |
| ellos/ellas (they) ustedes (you; plural) | van |
After you’ve conjugated the verb ir to match your subject, insert the preposition a (to go).
A is one of the most common prepositions in Spanish, so it may also be familiar to you. This word never changes — it’s just a single letter a.
Finally, add a verb at the end of the phrase. Remember: You do not conjugate this verb. It stays in its infinitive form, meaning it keeps the ending in -ar, -er, or -ir.
These unconjugated “base forms” of the verbs look like this: hablar (to talk), comer (to eat) or escribir (to write).
When we follow these steps and plug different words into the ir + a + infinitive formula, we can create full sentences talking about the future.
Here are some ir + a + infinitive examples that you can use:
When you add pronouns to the mix, it’s important to know where they belong in this structure. Take the first two examples above. Here, they are rewritten using direct object pronouns.
Notice that the pronoun never goes in the middle. The ir + a + infinitive structure is never broken. The pronoun must go either (1) at the beginning, or (2) attached to the infinitive verb at the end.
As you can see, the near future tense (ir + a + infinitive) is used to talk about anything in the immediate future. This phrasing is useful for talking about weekend or future plans, telling somebody where you are going, coordinating plans with friends, gossiping, making suggestions about the future, and more.
Of course, we encourage you to master advanced Spanish skills, but it’s smart to start with the easy stuff. Based on these examples, are you ready to create your own ir + a + infinitive near future tense phrases?
