Learn Spanish (Latin America): Hoy voy a pasear con mi familia. - Today I am going to take a walk with my family.

Hoy voy a pasear con mi familia.

Today I am going to take a walk with my family.

Breakdown of Hoy voy a pasear con mi familia.

Questions & Answers about Hoy voy a pasear con mi familia.

Why do we use voy a pasear to say "I am going to take a walk"?

This is the near future construction! To say what someone is going to do, you use the verb ir (to go), plus the word a (to), plus an action word in its basic, unaltered form (the infinitive). Here, voy means "I am going", a connects the verbs, and pasear is the basic form for "take a walk".

Why do we need the a in voy a pasear? Can I just say voy pasear?

You always need the a when using this "going to" construction. In English, the "to" is part of the action ("to take a walk"), but in Spanish, the formula for the near future is strictly ir + a + infinitive. Without the a, it sounds grammatically broken to a Spanish speaker.

Does pasear just mean "to walk"?

It translates closely to "take a walk" or "stroll" for pleasure. If you were walking just to get from point A to point B, you would usually use the verb caminar. Pasear implies a relaxed, enjoyable outing, which fits perfectly with going out with your family!

Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?