Spanish grammar · Beginner
Ir Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Ir means to go in Spanish, wildly irregular. The present (voy, vas, va) borrows v- forms; the preterite (fui, fuiste, fue) is shared with ser. Ir a + infinitive is the everyday future construction.
Voy al supermercado.
I'm going to the supermarket.
What it is
Ir means to go. It's one of Spanish's most irregular verbs, the present forms (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van) don't share a stem with the infinitive at all. The preterite (fui, fuiste, fue) is identical to the preterite of ser; context decides which verb is meant.
In Voy al supermercado (I'm going to the supermarket), voy is the yo form of ir in the present. The construction is ir + a + place, the a marks destination. The same verb powers ir a + infinitive (going-to future).
How to spot it
Look for v- forms (voy, vas, va, vamos, van) in the present, that's ir, not any -ir verb. In the preterite, fui / fuiste / fue can be ir (went) or ser (was), context decides.
- Vamos al cine. — We're going to the movies.
- Voy a estudiar. — I'm going to study.
- Fueron a la fiesta. — They went to the party.
Ir a + infinitive is how Spanish handles English going to, the most common way to talk about near-future plans.
Ir Conjugation Quick Reference
Ir at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | voy | fui | iba | iré | vaya |
| tú | vas | fuiste | ibas | irás | vayas |
| él/ella/Ud. | va | fue | iba | irá | vaya |
| nosotros | vamos | fuimos | íbamos | iremos | vayamos |
| vosotros | vais | fuisteis | ibais | iréis | vayáis |
| ellos/Uds. | van | fueron | iban | irán | vayan |
Common Ir Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Ir powers four core real-world uses, movement, plans, periphrastic future, and the reflexive irse (to leave).
Going Somewhere
- Voy a casa.
- I'm going home.
- Vamos al parque.
- We're going to the park.
- Va a la escuela.
- She's going to school.
- Van al restaurante.
- They're going to the restaurant.
Ir a + place is the standard structure. The a contracts with el to form al (a + el = al).
Going-To Future (Ir a + Infinitive)
- Voy a estudiar.
- I'm going to study.
- Vamos a comer.
- We're going to eat.
- Va a llover.
- It's going to rain.
- Van a viajar.
- They're going to travel.
Spanish uses ir a + infinitive for near-future plans far more than the simple future tense.
Past Movement
- Fui a México el año pasado.
- I went to Mexico last year.
- Fuimos a la playa.
- We went to the beach.
- Ella iba al gimnasio todos los días.
- She used to go to the gym every day.
- Íbamos a salir, pero llovió.
- We were going to leave, but it rained.
Preterite (fui / fuimos) for one-shot trips; imperfect (iba / íbamos) for habits or ongoing past.
Irse (To Leave)
- Me voy.
- I'm leaving.
- Se fue temprano.
- He left early.
- Nos vamos a las ocho.
- We're leaving at eight.
- ¡Vete!
- Leave! (informal command)
Reflexive irse shifts meaning from to go (somewhere) to to leave (here). Very common in goodbyes.
How to Conjugate Ir Across Tenses
Present, Completely Borrowed (V- Forms)
The present tense uses v- forms that don't relate to the infinitive ir: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. They have to be memorized as a separate set.
Yo voy, tú vas, ella va, nosotros vamos, vosotros vais, ellos van.
I go, you go, she goes, we go, you all go, they go.
Voy / vas / va is the most-used yo form in Spanish after estoy. Native introductions chain Voy a... constantly.
Preterite, Shared with Ser (Fui, Fuiste, Fue)
The preterite of ir is fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron, exactly the same as the preterite of ser. Context decides which verb is meant.
Fui al cine. (ir = went) Fui presidente. (ser = was)
I went to the movies. / I was president.
Next word usually decides: + a / al / + place = ir (went). + adjective / role / + de = ser (was).
Imperfect, Irregular (Iba)
One of only three irregular imperfects in Spanish (the others are ser → era and ver → veía). Forms: iba, ibas, iba, íbamos, ibais, iban.
De niña, iba a la escuela en bicicleta.
As a girl, I used to go to school by bike.
The forms look almost regular but iba has no v / written stem, it's a unique irregular pattern.
Subjunctive, Vay- Stem (Vaya, Vayas)
The present subjunctive is vaya, vayas, vaya, vayamos, vayáis, vayan. Shows up everywhere in wish/doubt/emotion triggers about going.
Quiero que vayas conmigo.
I want you to come with me.
Vayamos doubles as the nosotros command (let's go) alongside the more common vamos.
Common Mistakes with Ir Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo iro al supermercado. — I'm going to the supermarket. (wrong, present yo is voy, not iro)
Correct: Yo voy al supermercado. — I'm going to the supermarket.
Ir's present uses borrowed v- forms (voy / vas / va...), not derived from the infinitive. Hearing native speakers chain Voy / Vas / Va in real sentences trains the pattern.
Incorrect: Voy estudiar mañana. — I'm going to study tomorrow. (wrong, missing the a)
Correct: Voy a estudiar mañana. — I'm going to study tomorrow.
The going-to future requires ir + a + infinitive. The a is mandatory, without it, the sentence is ungrammatical.
Incorrect: Cuando era niña, fui a la escuela en autobús. — As a girl, I went to school by bus. (wrong, preterite for an ongoing habit)
Correct: Cuando era niña, iba a la escuela en autobús. — As a girl, I used to go to school by bus.
Habitual past actions take the imperfect (iba), not the preterite (fui). Era niña sets up a long-term frame, imperfect throughout.
Ir Across Every Tense
Three irregular tenses (present, preterite, imperfect) plus a Vay- subjunctive. Future is regular.
Present (V- Stem)
Completely irregular set borrowed from a different root.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Vamos doubles as let's go (a command from inside the present).
Preterite (Shared with Ser)
Fui / fuiste / fue / fuimos / fuisteis / fueron, identical to the preterite of ser.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Context decides between ir (went) and ser (was). The words around the verb make it clear.
Imperfect (Iba), One of 3 Irregular Imperfects
Iba / ibas / iba / íbamos / ibais / iban. Used for past habits and background descriptions.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Only ser (era), ver (veía), and ir (iba) have irregular imperfects in Spanish.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future and conditional are regular. Subjunctive uses vay- stem.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Vaya shows up in wish/doubt: Espero que vayas, Quiero que vaya. Past participle ido is regular.
Ir A + Infinitive: The Going-To Future
Near-Future Plans
Conjugate ir in the present + a + infinitive. The construction expresses near-future plans far more often than the simple future tense.
- Voy a llamar a mi madre.
- I'm going to call my mother.
- Vamos a comer en una hora.
- We're going to eat in an hour.
This is the everyday Spanish future, simple future (llamaré, comeremos) is used for predictions or formal contexts.
Talking About Future Possibilities
Va a + infinitive is also used impersonally for weather, predictions, and inevitable events.
- Va a llover.
- It's going to rain.
- Va a ser difícil.
- It's going to be hard.
Native speakers reach for va a... almost reflexively when talking about what's coming.
Irse (Reflexive), To Leave
Adding the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se...) shifts meaning from to go to to leave.
- Me voy a casa.
- I'm going home (leaving for home).
- ¡Vámonos!
- Let's get going!
Vámonos (let's leave) is the reflexive nosotros command, drops the final s of vamos + nos.
Ir Conjugation FAQs
- What does ir mean and how is it used in Spanish?
- Ir means to go in Spanish. It's used for movement (Voy al cine), near-future plans with ir a + infinitive (Voy a estudiar), and reflexively as irse to mean to leave (Me voy).
- How does ir conjugate in the present tense?
- Voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. The forms don't share a stem with the infinitive ir, they're borrowed from a different root and must be memorized as a set.
- What's the preterite of ir?
- Fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. The forms are identical to the preterite of ser, context decides which verb is meant. Fui al cine = I went to the movies; Fui presidente = I was president.
- How do you say going to in Spanish?
- Ir a + infinitive. Conjugate ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), add a, then the infinitive. Example: Voy a estudiar (I'm going to study), Van a viajar (they're going to travel).
- How can I get better at conjugating ir?
- The fastest way is exposure to native speakers using ir's irregular forms, voy, vas, va, fui, iba, vaya, in real contexts. Parrot delivers daily videos where the going-to future and movement statements appear constantly, so the irregular forms become automatic.