How to Express the Future Tense in Spanish Using Ir a

In this article, you’re going to find out how to express the future tense in Spanish using a neat little construction: ir a + infinitive.

Two types of future tense

In Spanish, there are two forms of the future tense. One of them, the “proper” future tense, is a little more complicated and is explained in a separate article. It’s formed by finding the stem from the infinitive of the verb, then adding the appropriate future tense endings.

The form that we’ll look at in this lesson is simpler! It’s used as an informal version of the future tense, and, in spoken Spanish, it’s used way more than the proper future tense. Use this when you’re speaking Spanish, and you’ll sound like a pro in no time! 

Credit from https://pixabay.com/illustrations/future-crystal-ball-weather-forecast-1126760/

Formation

Believe it or not, this is one of the simplest Spanish verb tenses to form. All you have to do is:

So for this tense, the only thing you need to know how to conjugate is the verb ir. Here’s how to do it in the present tense:

So, “voy a hacer algo” means “I am going to do something.”

Time to see some more examples.

Using the future in the past

Okay, so “using the future in the past” sounds a bit crazy, but it will make sense with some examples. 

Imagine you want to say “I was going to study but I forgot.” (Haven’t we all been there? Forgot, got distracted, fell asleep...) You’ll need to put ir in the imperfect tense (“I was going to …”)

We use the same rules as earlier:

Here’s how to conjugate ir in the imperfect tense:

So, in our accidentally-forgot-to-study example:

Simple as that.

https://pixabay.com/photos/student-girl-study-pupil-tired-4127340/

¡Ojo! (Beware!)

When you see an ir a construction, don’t just assume it’s a future tense. For example, if it’s “ir a + place name” rather than “ir a + infinitive” then it’s just talking about going somewhere. When you come across it in text, the context should make it clear what’s going on.

Quiz

Today’s quiz has a few different sections. Feel free to pick and choose, or go ahead and try them all!

Multiple choice

1. Fuiste mi primer amor. No _ a olvidarte nunca. (You were my first love. I’ll never forget you.)

     a. vas

     b. voy

     c. vamos

2. ¡Creo que _ a ganar el concurso! (I think they’re going to win the competition!)

     a. van

     b. vais

     c. voy

3. En ese momento, creí que _ a ganar. Pero al final perdieron. (In that moment, I thought they were going to win. But in the end they lost.)

     a. íbamos

     b. van

     c. iban

4. Cariño, ¡bájate de ahí! Si no, te _ a caer. (Sweetie, get down from there! Otherwise you’re going to fall.)

     a. vais

     b. vas

     c. vamos

5. _ a visitarme en el hospital. ¿Por qué no vinisteis al final? (You were going to visit me in the hospital. Why didn’t you come in the end?)

     a. Iban

     b. Vas

     c. Ibais

6. Madre, ¡creo que Eric _ a proponerme matrimonio! (Mother, I think Eric is going to propose to me!)

     a. voy

     b. vas

     c. va

7. Desafortunadamente, _ a tener que mentir. (Unfortunately, we’re going to have to lie.)

     a. íbamos

     b. van

     c. vamos

8. Kiki _ a bailar y yo _ a cantar. Pero se canceló el concurso de talentos. (Kiki was going to dance and I was going to sing. But the talent show got cancelled.)

     a. iba, iba

     b. va, iba

     c. iba, va

9. Chicos, ¿cuántas limonadas _ a pedir? (Guys, how many lemonades are you going to order?)

     a. voy

     b. vais

     c. vas

Spanish to English translation

In this section, try translating the Spanish to English. This’ll get you thinking. Here’s a glossary in case you need it:

1. Voy a bailar.

2. Vas a beber agua.

3. Paul va a venir a España.

English to Spanish translation

Now have a go at translating from English into Spanish. This one should really get you thinking! Here’s some vocab that you might need:

1. We are going to speak with Ana.

2. Are you (informal plural) going to watch the film?

3. The truth is that they’re not going to last as a couple.

Ibas a estudiar … ¡y lo hiciste! (You were going to study … and you did!)

We hope you’ve learned something new from this article. Have fun practicing with this form of the future tense! Remember that, in spoken Spanish, it’s much more common than the proper future tense (but learn both anyway, like a boss.)

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Want to speak like a native? Click here to learn how to use the informal future tense in Spanish. It’s simpler than you might think!