The present of anar (“go”) is unusual twice over. Its own paradigm mixes forms beginning with v- and an-, and a closely related set of short forms serves as the auxiliary of Catalan’s common periphrastic past: vaig comprar means “I bought,” not “I go to buy.” The only safe method is to read the structure around the form.
The lexical present paradigm
When anar is a motion verb, the general present paradigm is:
| Person | Present | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jo | vaig | vaig al mercat |
| tu | vas | vas al mercat |
| ell / ella / vostè | va | va al mercat |
| nosaltres | anem | anem al mercat |
| vosaltres | aneu | aneu al mercat |
| ells / elles / vostès | van | van al mercat |
The singular and third-person plural forms come from the va- stem, while first- and second-person plural use an-. This is suppletion: historical material from more than one stem now makes a single paradigm. There is no spelling rule that predicts the split, so memorize all six forms. Vaig, vas, va, and van are monosyllabic; anem and aneu are stressed on the final syllable.
Vaig a la feina amb bicicleta sempre que no plou.
I go to work by bike whenever it isn’t raining.
Vas gaire sovint a casa dels avis?
Do you go to your grandparents’ place very often?
La Carla va al gimnàs abans d'entrar a treballar.
Carla goes to the gym before starting work.
Anem a la platja d'hora per evitar la calor.
We go to the beach early to avoid the heat.
Els nens van sols a l'escola perquè és al costat de casa.
The children go to school on their own because it’s next door.
Present indicative anar can describe a current journey, a repeated route, or a planned future whose time is clear from context:
Ara vaig cap a casa; et truco quan arribi.
I’m heading home now; I’ll call you when I arrive.
Demà anem a Tarragona a veure uns amics.
Tomorrow we’re going to Tarragona to see some friends.
The second example is future in time but present in form. Catalan often uses the simple present for a settled plan, just as English can.
A destination—or hi—normally completes the motion
In its literal movement sense, anar normally points toward a destination or direction: a la feina, cap al centre, fins a l'estació. When that place has already been mentioned, locative hi stands in for it and precedes the finite verb.
—Vas sovint a Olot? —Sí, hi vaig gairebé cada mes.
—Do you go to Olot often? —Yes, I go there almost every month.
A aquesta botiga no hi anem mai perquè és massa cara.
We never go to this shop because it’s too expensive.
With the pronominal verb anar-se'n, the cluster me'n, te'n, se'n, ens n', us n', se'n signals departure rather than a destination:
Me'n vaig, que ja és molt tard.
I’m leaving, because it’s already very late.
The pronouns are not decorative. Bare vaig with no destination is normally incomplete as a literal motion statement, whereas hi vaig retrieves a place and me'n vaig means “I’m leaving.” Idioms such as Com va? (“How is it going?”) follow their own lexical pattern.
The same forms in the periphrastic past
Before another verb’s bare infinitive, the short forms of anar usually stop describing movement and become past-tense auxiliaries:
| Person | Motion now | Periphrastic past |
|---|---|---|
| jo | vaig al banc | vaig pagar |
| tu | vas al banc | vas pagar |
| ell / ella | va al banc | va pagar |
| nosaltres | anem al banc | vam pagar |
| vosaltres | aneu al banc | vau pagar |
| ells / elles | van al banc | van pagar |
Notice the decisive plural contrast: lexical present anem/aneu, but the common short past auxiliary is vam/vau. The infinitive carries the event; the auxiliary marks person and presents it as completed before the discourse present.
Ahir vam pagar el lloguer i després vam anar a sopar fora.
Yesterday we paid the rent and then went out for dinner.
In vam pagar, vam is purely auxiliary. In vam anar, the first vam is the auxiliary and anar is the lexical infinitive: literally the same verb contributes twice at different grammatical levels.
Weak pronouns may precede the past auxiliary or attach to the infinitive. Both positions are standard, though the first is especially common in ordinary speech:
La pel·lícula la vaig veure diumenge.
I saw the film on Sunday.
Vaig veure-la diumenge, però ja no recordo el final.
I saw it on Sunday, but I no longer remember the ending.
The full formation and regional options belong on the periphrastic past formation page.
Do not turn every anar a + infinitive into a future
English “be going to” is primarily a future marker. Catalan anar a + infinitive can instead be literal movement with a purpose:
Vaig a la fleca a comprar pa.
I’m going to the bakery to buy bread.
With the destination omitted, Vaig a comprar pa can still have the literal reading “I’m going [somewhere] to buy bread.” Catalan does have a limited imminence or intention construction, used especially in the past for an event that was about to happen. The IEC's comprehensive grammar also admits narrowly intentional present uses such as Us vaig a dir una cosa, in which the speaker is just beginning the announced act. This is not the normal way to express a future: for a present-time announcement, Ara us ho explico is the clearest general model, and a general future prediction should use the present, future, or estar a punt de:
El concert està a punt de començar.
The concert is about to begin.
This is why Spanish va a empezar should not automatically become Catalan va a començar. That sequence is especially confusing because va començar without a already means “it began.”
Simple present or progressive?
English often says “I’m going” where Catalan simply uses vaig: Ara vaig cap a l'oficina. Use estar + gerund only when you deliberately zoom in on movement as unfolding:
Estem anant massa de pressa; afluixa una mica.
We’re going too fast; slow down a little.
The simple present is the neutral choice for routes, plans, and many current movements. The progressive adds an internal, ongoing viewpoint; it is not an obligatory translation of English -ing.
Regional and register notes
The main table gives the general standard. Anam and anau are standard regional lexical-present forms (regional: Balearic) for anem and aneu. In the periphrastic past, the expanded auxiliary forms vares, vàrem, vàreu, and varen are normative and frequent in several regions; they coexist with general vas, vam, vau, and van. The analogical forms vem and veu are heard (informal; regional: Central Catalan) but are avoided in formal usage.
Mini-dialogue: present or past?
—On vas? —Vaig a la fleca. Vols res?
—Where are you going? —I’m going to the bakery. Do you want anything?
—No, gràcies. Ahir ja hi vaig anar i vaig comprar pa.
—No, thanks. I already went there yesterday and bought bread.
The first vas and vaig are present motion because they lead to a destination. In vaig anar and vaig comprar, the following infinitive creates a periphrastic past. The adverb ahir supports that completed-past viewpoint but does not create it by itself.
Common Mistakes
1. Using lexical plural forms as past auxiliaries.
❌ Ahir anem arribar tard.
Incorrect — the first-person plural periphrastic-past auxiliary is vam, not lexical-present anem.
✅ Ahir vam arribar tard.
Yesterday we arrived late.
2. Reading every va + infinitive as present or future.
❌ La Marta va trucar demà.
Incorrect for a future meaning — without a, va trucar is a completed past, so it conflicts with demà.
✅ La Marta trucarà demà.
Marta will call tomorrow.
3. Copying an all-purpose “going to” future.
❌ El tren va a arribar d'aquí a cinc minuts.
Incorrect as a neutral future prediction in standard Catalan.
✅ El tren arribarà d'aquí a cinc minuts.
The train will arrive in five minutes.
4. Dropping both the destination and its pronoun.
❌ A Vic, vaig sovint per feina.
Incorrect in careful Catalan — the fronted destination should be resumed by hi.
✅ A Vic, hi vaig sovint per feina.
I often go to Vic for work.
5. Overusing the progressive for a routine.
❌ Estic anant a classe amb metro cada dia.
Incorrect for a simple daily routine — the progressive frames an ongoing episode.
✅ Vaig a classe amb metro cada dia.
I go to class by metro every day.
Key Takeaways
- The lexical present is vaig, vas, va, anem, aneu, van.
- A destination or locative hi normally completes literal motion: vaig a Girona; hi vaig.
- Before a bare infinitive, vaig/vas/va/vam/vau/van normally marks completed past.
- Do not use anar a + infinitive as an automatic copy of English or Spanish future constructions.
Now practice Catalan
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Forming the Periphrastic PastA2 — Build Catalan’s ordinary past with the auxiliary forms vaig, vas, va, vam, vau, van and an unchanged infinitive.
- Vaig Parlar versus Vaig a ParlarA2 — Distinguish completed-past vaig parlar from present motion or restricted imminence in vaig a parlar.
- Anar a plus InfinitiveA2 — Use anar a plus infinitive for narrowly defined imminence and announcements without copying the all-purpose English or Spanish near future.
- Hi for LocationsB1 — Use hi for static places, destinations, and paths, and keep obligatory hi in the existential verb haver-hi.
- Anar or Venir?B2 — Choose anar or venir by locating the conversational center and viewing motion toward or away from it.
- Conjugation of anarA1 — Complete contemporary conjugation of anar for movement, destinations, the periphrastic past, weak pronouns, and pronominal anar-se'n.