Going to a place (ir a)

The Verb ir (to go)

The verb ir (to go) is highly irregular in the present tense.

PronounForm of ir
yovoy
vas
él, ella, ustedva
nosotros, nosotrasvamos
ellos, ellas, ustedesvan

Going "to" a Place

When talking about a destination, always follow ir with the preposition a (to).

I am going to school now.
Yo voy a la escuela ahora.
We are going to the party today.
Nosotros vamos a la fiesta hoy.

The Contraction al

When the preposition a meets the masculine definite article el (the), they combine to form the contraction al (to the).

  • a
    • el = al
I am going to the supermarket soon.
Yo voy al supermercado pronto.
They are going downtown.
Ellos van al centro.

This contraction only happens with el. The feminine article la does not contract.

Are you going to the library later?
¿Vas a la biblioteca luego?
I go to the pool and she goes to the market.
Yo voy a la piscina y ella va al mercado.