Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Vamos a ver el espectáculo esta noche en la plaza. - We are going to see the show tonight in the plaza.

Spanish often uses the ir a + infinitive construction to express a near-future plan or intention. Vamos a ver el espectáculo literally means “we’re going to see the show.” You could also say veremos el espectáculo (“we will see the show”), but it sounds more formal or distant. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is much more common.

What does vamos a ver literally translate to, and can it ever mean “let’s see”?

Literally, vamos a ver is “we are going to see.” However, in colloquial Spanish, vamos a ver is also used like “let’s see…” when you’re thinking something over. Context tells you whether it’s the near-future “we’re going to see” or the idiomatic “let’s see.”

Why doesn’t esta in esta noche have an accent mark over the “e”?

Here esta is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this,” modifying noche (“night”). According to current orthography, demonstrative adjectives like esta are not accented. (The older accented form ésta as a pronoun is no longer recommended.)

Why is espectáculo spelled with an accent on the “á”?

Spanish words ending in a vowel, n, or s that are stressed on the third-to-last syllable (proparoxytone) require a written accent. es-pec-tá-cu-lo has its stress on tá, so it needs the accent mark.

Why do we use the definite article el before espectáculo instead of an indefinite article?

El is the definite article (“the”), indicating a specific show that both speaker and listener know about. If you used un espectáculo, it would be “a show,” implying any show, not the one in question.

Why is en la plaza used here? Could you just say plaza?

To express location in Spanish, you generally use the preposition en plus the definite article and noun. So en la plaza means “in/at the square.” Omitting en la would sound unnatural and incomplete.

Could we say hoy en la noche instead of esta noche, and is there a regional preference?

Yes. In many Latin American dialects, hoy en la noche also means “tonight.” Esta noche is universally understood and slightly more formal. Some speakers prefer one expression over the other based on local usage, but both are correct.

In Latin America, does plaza ever refer to something other than a town square?

Yes. In Mexico and some other countries, plaza can also mean a shopping mall or commercial center. Context—like talking about stores versus performances—will clarify whether it’s a public square or a mall.

Can we invert the word order to Esta noche vamos a ver el espectáculo en la plaza? Would the meaning change?

Absolutely. Spanish allows flexible word order. Putting esta noche at the beginning emphasizes the time, but the essential meaning (“We’re going to see the show tonight in the square”) remains the same.

What part of speech is esta in esta noche? Is it the same as the article?

Esta is a demonstrative adjective (“this”) that agrees in gender and number with the noun noche (feminine singular). It is not a definite article—that role is played by el or la—but it behaves similarly by specifying which night you mean.