Vamos a zurcir el retal.

It is the near future structure in Spanish: vamos a zurcir = we are going to darn/mend.

• vamos = we go / we are going
• a = to
• zurcir = to darn / to mend

So the pattern is:

ir + a + infinitive

Examples:

• Voy a comer = I’m going to eat
• Vamos a salir = We’re going to go out

Depending on context and tone, vamos a zurcir el retal could also sound a bit like let’s mend the piece of fabric, but its most straightforward grammatical value is we’re going to mend it.

Spanish often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

Because vamos clearly shows we, Spanish normally does not need nosotros.

So:

• Vamos a zurcir el retal = natural
• Nosotros vamos a zurcir el retal = also correct, but more emphatic

You would add nosotros only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Nosotros vamos a zurcir el retal, no ellos = We are going to mend the fabric scrap, not them

Zurcir means to darn or to mend by sewing, especially when repairing:

• a hole
• a tear
• worn fabric
• socks or clothes

It is more specific than a very general verb like arreglar (to fix) and more associated with textile repair.

In English, darn is often the closest match, especially for fabric, socks, or knitwear.

It is a real and correct word, but it can sound a bit specific or traditional because it refers to a particular kind of sewing repair.

In everyday speech, people might also use:

• coser = to sew
• remendar = to mend / patch
• arreglar = to fix

So zurcir is perfectly good Spanish, but it is more precise than the broad everyday verb arreglar.

Retal means a piece of leftover fabric, a fabric remnant, or an offcut.

It usually refers to a piece of cloth left over after cutting a larger piece.

So el retal is not just any object: it is specifically a scrap/remnant of fabric.

Plural:

• el retal
• los retales

El is the definite article: the.
Un is the indefinite article: a / an.

So:

• el retal = the fabric scrap / the remnant
• un retal = a fabric scrap / a remnant

Using el suggests that the speaker and listener already know which piece of fabric is being talked about.

Because the future construction with ir works like this:

ir + a + infinitive

So:

• vamos a comer
• vamos a estudiar
• vamos a zurcir

That a is required in this structure. It does not mean the same thing as the English at here. It is simply part of the grammar pattern.

Because a and el only contract to al when they appear directly together:

• Voy al mercado = I’m going to the market

In Vamos a zurcir el retal, the words are:

• vamos
• a
• zurcir
• el retal

Since a is followed by zurcir, not directly by el, there is no contraction.

In standard peninsular Spanish, z and c before i are pronounced like the th in think.

So zurcir is pronounced approximately:

thoor-THEER
More accurately: /θurˈθiɾ/

Notes:

• z = th sound
• c before i = th sound
• the final r is a light tapped Spanish r

In many parts of Latin America, both of those sounds would be pronounced like s, but in Spain the th pronunciation is the usual reference point.

In Spain it is approximately:

reh-TAL
IPA: /reˈtal/

Stress is on the second syllable: -tal.

That stress follows a normal Spanish rule: words ending in a consonant other than n or s are usually stressed on the last syllable.

Grammatically, vamos is in the present tense, but the whole expression vamos a + infinitive normally refers to the near future.

So although the verb ir appears in the present, the meaning is future:

• Vamos a zurcir el retal = We’re going to mend the fabric remnant

This is very common in Spanish and often more natural in conversation than the simple future:

• Zurciremos el retal = We will mend the fabric remnant

Yes. That is the simple future form of zurcir.

• Vamos a zurcir el retal = We’re going to mend the fabric remnant
• Zurciremos el retal = We will mend the fabric remnant

Both are correct, but vamos a + infinitive is often more common in everyday spoken Spanish, especially for plans or intentions.

Yes. Since el retal is a direct object, you can replace it with lo:

• Vamos a zurcir el retal
• Lo vamos a zurcir

You can also attach the pronoun to the infinitive:

• Vamos a zurcirlo

Both are correct:

• Lo vamos a zurcir
• Vamos a zurcirlo

This is a very common Spanish pattern with ir a + infinitive.

The grammar is completely correct, but semantically it may sound a little specialized because of the combination of words.

• zurcir is specifically about mending by sewing
• retal is a leftover piece of fabric

In many everyday situations, someone might be more likely to say something like:

• Vamos a coser el retal
• Vamos a arreglar el retal
• Vamos a remendar la tela

But if the intended meaning is specifically darn/mend that piece of fabric, then Vamos a zurcir el retal is fine.