Ellos van a participar en el festival de cine.

in

Breakdown of Ellos van a participar en el festival de cine.

• ellos: they
• de: of
• a: to

Questions & Answers about Ellos van a participar en el festival de cine.

Can I leave out ellos and just say Van a participar en el festival de cine?

Yes. In Spanish the subject pronoun (yo, tú, él, ella, ellos, etc.) is often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• Ellos van a participar… = Van a participar…
  Both mean They are going to participate…

You keep ellos when you want to:

• Emphasize they (as opposed to someone else):
  
  • Ellos van a participar, no nosotros.
• Clarify who you’re talking about when the context is unclear.

What exactly does van mean here, and why isn’t it van a one word?

Van is the present tense, third person plural form of the verb ir (to go).

• ir (to go)
  
  • yo voy
  • tú vas
  • él/ella/usted va
  • nosotros vamos
  • ustedes/ellos/ellas van

In van a participar, we have:

• van = they go / they are going
• a = the preposition to
• participar = to participate (infinitive)

Together ir + a + infinitive expresses a future action, like English “be going to + verb.”

Why do we say van a participar instead of participarán?