The near future (ir a)

The Near Future (ir a)

To talk about your future plans or things you are "going to" do, Spanish uses a very simple formula: the conjugated verb ir (to go) + a + an infinitive verb (the base form, like viajar or acampar).

Here is a quick reminder of how to conjugate ir in the present tense:

Subjectir (to go)
yovoy
vas
él / ella / ustedva
nosotros / nosotrasvamos
ellos / ellas / ustedesvan

To express what you are going to do, just follow the formula:

Next weekend I am going to travel to the mountain.
El próximo fin de semana voy a viajar a la montaña.
Tomorrow we are going to play soccer in the park.
Mañana vamos a jugar fútbol en el parque.
They are going to camp near the lake.
Ellos van a acampar cerca del lago.

Negative Sentences and Questions

To make a negative statement, simply place the word no right before the conjugated form of ir:

We are not going to go to the lake because it is cloudy.
No vamos a ir al lago porque está nublado.

Questions follow the exact same structure; just add your question words and marks:

Where are you going to camp?
¿Dónde van a acampar ustedes?

Using Reflexive Verbs

When using this construction with a reflexive verb—like quedarse (to stay)—the reflexive pronoun (like me or te) can be placed directly before the conjugated form of ir:

I am going to stay in a cheap hotel.
Me voy a quedar en un hotel barato.
Where are you going to stay tomorrow?
¿Dónde te vas a quedar mañana?