Questions & Answers about ¿Van ustedes al colegio hoy?
Why is it al colegio instead of a el colegio?
al is a mandatory contraction. Whenever the preposition a (to) is followed directly by the masculine word for 'the' (el), they must combine to form al. You will never see a el written as separate words! This makes it flow much faster when speaking.
Does colegio mean 'college'?
No, colegio is a 'false friend'. It actually means 'school' (usually elementary, middle, or high school). If you want to talk about a college or university in Spanish, you would use the word universidad.
Why is the word order Van ustedes instead of Ustedes van?
Why do we use van here?
van means 'go' or 'are going'. It is the plural form of the irregular verb ir (to go). Because the subject is ustedes (you all), we use the plural form van.