Verbs + A + Infinitive | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Some Spanish verbs can't connect directly to an infinitive — they require the little preposition a in between. These verbs tend to involve motion, beginning, learning, teaching, helping, or invitation. The a doesn't translate as "to" the way English speakers might expect; it's simply the "connector" this group of verbs demands.

The basic pattern

The structure is always conjugated verb + a + infinitive:

Voy a estudiar esta tarde.

I am going to study this afternoon.

Aprendí a bailar salsa.

I learned to dance salsa.

The ir a future

By far the most important verb in this group is ir a, which forms the informal future tense: voy a + infinitive = "I am going to + verb." It is used constantly in everyday Latin American Spanish to talk about future plans, often in place of the formal future tense.

Mañana vamos a ir al mercado.

Tomorrow we are going to go to the market.

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In spoken Latin American Spanish, ir a + infinitive is the most common way to talk about the near future. You can use it for anything from the next minute to next year. See the near future page for more.

Common verbs that take a

The following verbs all require a before a following infinitive. Notice the themes of movement (ir, venir, volver), beginning (empezar, comenzar, ponerse), and learning / teaching (aprender, enseñar).

Verb	Meaning	Example
ir a	to be going to	Voy a salir.
empezar a	to begin to	Empezó a llover.
comenzar a	to begin to	Comencé a leer.
aprender a	to learn to	Aprende a manejar.
enseñar a	to teach (how) to	Me enseñó a cocinar.
ayudar a	to help to	Te ayudo a estudiar.
invitar a	to invite to	La invité a bailar.
venir a	to come to	Vino a verme.
volver a	to do again (lit. to return to)	Vuelve a intentarlo.
ponerse a	to start to	Se puso a llorar.
obligar a	to force to	Me obligó a salir.
acostumbrarse a	to get used to	Me acostumbré a levantarme temprano.

Volver a = to do again

Volver a + infinitive is a particularly useful construction. It literally means "to return to (doing)," but idiomatically it just means "to do something again."

No vuelvas a llegar tarde.

Don't arrive late again.

Volví a leer el libro.

I read the book again.

Empezar a / comenzar a / ponerse a

All three of these mean "to begin / start (doing)," and all three require a. Ponerse a has a slightly more sudden, almost involuntary feel — it often translates as "to burst into" or "to suddenly start."

El bebé se puso a llorar de repente.

The baby suddenly burst into tears.

Motion verbs with a

When a verb of motion (ir, venir, volver, bajar, subir, salir) is followed by another action, Spanish uses a to mean "(in order) to."

Vine a buscarte.

I came to pick you up.

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Don't confuse pensar a — which doesn't exist — with ir a, empezar a, and so on. Pensar takes en when it means "to think about" and nothing at all when it means "to plan." You'll find it on the verbs + en page and the after verbs page.

A note on pronouns

When an object pronoun is used, it can attach to the end of the infinitive or go before the conjugated verb. Both placements are correct and common.

Voy a llamarte. / Te voy a llamar.

I'm going to call you.