Ir in Spanish · voy a, vas aThe Mover

The formula

To say where you're going, Spanish uses one formula. Think of it as math:

Ir + a + the place

Ir is one of the rebels from the irregular verbs class: it looks nothing like its forms. Voy is "I go" or "I'm going", vas is "you go" or "you're going".

Where are you going?

• Voy a la playa.I'm going to the beach.
• Voy a México en diciembre.I'm going to Mexico in December.
• ¿Vas a la fiesta?Are you going to the party?
• Voy a la oficina los lunes.I go to the office on Mondays.

Never skip the A

This is the mistake every teacher hears: Voy el parque. In Spanish, the a is not optional. If you're going somewhere, there's an a.

It's easy to drop because English sometimes skips the "to": you "go home", you "go downtown". Spanish keeps the a anyway:

Al and a la

You saw it in the prepositions class: a + el always becomes al. So the place decides what you say:

With a city or a country there's no article at all: Voy a Cancún. Voy a México.

Al

• Voy al trabajo.I'm going to work.
• ¿Vas al súper?Are you going to the supermarket?
• Voy al doctor.I'm going to the doctor.
• Voy al cine con mi novia.I'm going to the movies with my girlfriend.

How you get there

To say how you're going, add en + the transport, like in the sentence from class:

By bus, by car, on foot

• Voy en autobús.I go by bus.
• Voy en carro.I go by car.
• Voy en metro.I go by metro.
• Voy en avión.I go by plane.
• Voy a pie.I go on foot.

Walking is the odd one: a pie, or just caminando. In Mexico you'll also hear en camión for the city bus, and en Uber for, well, an Uber.

Asking where

Questions with ir

• ¿Adónde vas?Where are you going?
• ¿Cómo vas?How are you getting there?
• ¿Con quién vas?Who are you going with?
• ¿A qué hora vas?What time are you going?

You saw the question words in the question words class. With ir, "where" is adónde, "to where": the a sneaks into the question too. You'll also see it written a dónde; both are correct.

✍️ Quick check

0/3

1. 1.Voy ___ parque. (I'm going to the park.)

   ela elal

2. 2.¿___ a la fiesta? (Are you going to the party?)

   VoyVasVa

3. 3.Voy a la oficina ___ metro. (I go to the office by metro.)

   enapor

Common mistakes

• ✗Voy el parque.

  ✓Voy al parque.

  Going somewhere always has the a. Here it hides inside al.

• ✗Voy a el cine.

  ✓Voy al cine.

  A + el always becomes al.

• ✗Voy casa.

  ✓Voy a casa.

  "Go home" has no "to" in English, but Spanish keeps the a.

• ✗Voy en la playa.

  ✓Voy a la playa.

  En is where you are. A is where you're going.

• ✗Voy por autobús.

  ✓Voy en autobús.

  Transport is en.

• ✗Voy a allá.

  ✓Voy allá.

  Aquí, ahí and allá don't take the a.

Put it together

Here's the sentence from class:

Voy a la playa en autobús.

• Voy: ir with yo
• a la playa: the formula, ir + a + the place. Playa is feminine, so it stays a la
• en autobús: how you get there

And now making plans for the weekend:

1. ¿Adónde vas el fin de semana?

   Where are you going this weekend?

2. Voy a la playa con mi novia. ¿Y tú?

   I'm going to the beach with my girlfriend. And you?

3. Yo voy a Guadalajara. Mi familia vive allá.

   I'm going to Guadalajara. My family lives there.

4. ¡Qué padre! ¿Vas en avión?

   How cool! Are you going by plane?

5. No, voy en autobús. Es más barato.

   No, I'm going by bus. It's cheaper.

6. ¿A qué hora vas?

   What time are you going?

7. El viernes a las seis. ¡Buen viaje!

   Friday at six. Have a good trip!

8. ¡Igualmente!

   You too!

¡Qué padre! is the Mexican "how cool!". ¡Igualmente! is "same to you".

Now make it yours: say three places you go every week, how you get there and when: Voy al trabajo en carro los lunes. Then ask someone ¿Adónde vas hoy?

Test yourself

✍️ Six quick questions

0/6

1. 1.___ a la tienda. (I'm going to the store.)

   VasVoyVa

2. 2.Voy ___ playa.

   ala laa el

3. 3.Voy ___ Cancún en diciembre.

   aala la

4. 4.¿Adónde vas? means…

   Where are you?Where are you going?Where are you from?

5. 5.Voy al trabajo ___. (on foot)

   en piea piepor pie

6. 6.Your mom calls you from the kitchen. You answer…

   ¡Voy!¡Vas!¡Vamos!

All the forms

Ir: the full chart

	yo	tú	él / ella / usted	nosotros	ellos / ustedes
ir	voy	vas	va	vamos	van

You saw vamos in the nosotros class: it's "we go" and also "let's go!".

The formula: ir + a + place. A + el = al (al parque). A la, a los, a las don't change. Cities and countries take no article (a Cancún). Aquí, ahí, allá take no a (voy allá).

How you get there: en + transport (en autobús, en carro, en metro, en avión), but a pie.