Why this construction exists
With ir a + infinitive you say what you plan to do or what is about to happen. You already know this pattern: it is going to with Spanish parts. In everyday speech it is more common than the futuro simple (comeré).
Voy a comer ahora.
I'm going to eat now.
Only ir is conjugated
Only the helper verb ir changes with the person. The a and the infinitive (here hablar, to speak) stay as they are. The person is already in the ir form, so there is no subject pronoun to add.
ir a hablar
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | voy a hablar |
| tú | vas a hablar |
| él / ella / usted | va a hablar |
| nosotros / nosotras | vamos a hablar |
| vosotros / vosotras | vais a hablar |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | van a hablar |
ir a + infinitive in the present
Vas a aprender mucho.
You're going to learn a lot.
Van a llegar tarde.
They're going to arrive late.
What it is used for
Plans and the near future
Vamos a viajar en verano.
We're going to travel in the summer.
Van a casarse en junio.
They're going to get married in June.
Predictions
Something is already on its way, for example because of the sky or the situation.
Va a llover pronto.
It's going to rain soon.
Va a ser difícil.
It's going to be hard.
Suggestions with vamos a
The nosotros form also works as a suggestion: Let's …
¡Vamos a comer!
Let's eat!
Vamos a salir esta noche.
Let's go out tonight.
Questions and negation
The word order stays as in a statement, with a question word in front if you have one; there is no Spanish do or are you to add. no goes directly in front of the conjugated ir form, where English puts not after am/is/are.
¿Qué vais a hacer?
What are you going to do?
¿Cuándo van a llegar?
When are they going to arrive?
No voy a ir.
I'm not going to go.
No va a funcionar.
It's not going to work.
