Ir: Full Conjugation

Ir means "to go" and is one of the shortest, most irregular, and most frequently used verbs in Spanish. It comes from three different Latin roots, which is why its forms look so unlike each other: voy (present), fui (preterite), iba (imperfect), iré (future).

Beyond its literal meaning, ir a + infinitive is the standard way to express the near future ("going to...") and is used far more often in speech than the simple future tense.

Present Indicative

Preterite

Ir and ser have identical preterite forms. Context always makes the meaning clear: fui a la playa ("I went to the beach") vs. fui presidente ("I was president").

Imperfect

Ir is one of only three verbs in Spanish with an irregular imperfect (the others are ser and ver).

Future

Conditional

Present Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Imperative

Non-Finite Forms

• Infinitive: ir
• Gerund: yendo
• Past participle: ido

Compound Tenses

The compound tenses use haber plus the past participle ido.

Present Perfect

Pluperfect

Future Perfect

Conditional Perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Progressive Forms

The progressive of ir uses the irregular gerund yendo. It's relatively rare because the present already covers ongoing motion, but it's grammatical.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Future Progressive

Common Collocations and Expressions

• ir a + infinitive — to be going to (do something) [near future]
• irse — to leave, go away
• ir bien / mal — to go well / badly
• ir tirando — to get by, manage
• vamos (interjection) — come on!, let's go!
• ¡qué va! — no way!, of course not!
• ir al grano — to get to the point
• ir de compras — to go shopping
• ir de viaje — to go on a trip
• ir de fiesta — to go partying
• ir y venir — coming and going
• ir para largo — to take a while
• ir sobre ruedas — to go smoothly
• ir al caso — to be relevant
• ¿cómo te va? — how's it going (with you)?
• a eso voy — I'm getting to that

Common Errors (for English speakers)

• ❌ Voy mi casa. / ✅ Voy a mi casa. — Always use the preposition a with destinations.
• ❌ Voy al el mercado. / ✅ Voy al mercado. — Remember the contraction a + el = al.
• ❌ Voy ir a la fiesta. / ✅ Voy a ir a la fiesta. / Iré a la fiesta. — Ir a + infinitive doesn't repeat ir: voy a + verb, not voy ir.
• ❌ Yo vivido en México hace dos años. / ⚠️ Voy a México la semana que viene. — Watch tense and time markers carefully.
• ❌ Vaya a casa. (as a tú command) / ✅ Ve a casa. — Affirmative tú is ve, not vaya (which is for usted).
• ❌ Estoy yendo a aprender español. / ✅ Voy a aprender español. — Don't use the progressive of ir for the going to future; use the simple voy.

Related Verbs

• venir — "to come" (motion toward the speaker). Opposite of ir.
• ser — shares ir's exact preterite forms (fui, fuiste, fue...).
• andar — "to walk, to go around." Sometimes overlaps with ir.
• marcharse — formal/regional synonym of irse.
• dirigirse a — formal "to head toward" (se dirigió a la salida).
• llegar — "to arrive," the natural complement to ir.

Cross-references

• Ir in the present indicative
• Ir a + infinitive: the periphrastic future
• Ser: full conjugation
• Venir: full conjugation
• Imperative overview