Español — Near future: ir a + infinitive

To talk about plans and intentions in the near future, Spanish uses the present of ir plus a plus an infinitive: Voy a estudiar. This periphrasis is the everyday way to express what you are going to do.

How it works

✓ Rule

Conjugate ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), add the fixed a, and keep the second verb in the infinitive: Voy a comer, Vamos a salir. The a never changes and cannot be dropped.

Examples

The full paradigm of ir a + infinitive
Form	Example	Meaning
(yo) voy a	Voy a estudiar esta noche.	I'm going to study tonight.
(tú) vas a	¿Vas a comer con nosotros?	Are you going to eat with us?
(él/ella) va a	Va a llover pronto.	It's going to rain soon.
(nosotros) vamos a	Vamos a salir mañana.	We're going to go out tomorrow.
(vosotros) vais a	Vais a ganar el partido.	You are going to win the match.
(ellos/ellas) van a	Van a llegar tarde.	They're going to arrive late.

Good to know

⚠ Note

The futuro simple (estudiaré, lloverá) also refers to the future, but it sounds more formal and is preferred for predictions, promises and suppositions. In everyday speech about near plans, ir a + infinitivo is far more common. A frequent learner mistake is dropping the a: write Voy a estudiar, never Voy estudiar.