The short version
- The easiest way to talk about the future in Spanish is ir a + infinitive: Voy a cenar con amigos (I'm going to have dinner with friends).
- For fixed plans, people in Spain often just use the present: Mañana trabajo (I'm working tomorrow).
- The "proper" future (iré, hablaré) is useful to recognise, but you can get by without it for a long time.
English speakers already know the easiest way to talk about the future in Spanish. You use it every day in English: "I'm going to". Spanish has exactly the same thing, and it's what most people use in normal conversation.
If you've been putting off the future tense because of all the new endings, you can relax. With ir a you only need to know one verb, ir, and then the verb you want in its basic form. Voy a llamar, voy a comer, voy a descansar.
This post covers how it works, how to use it for your own plans, and what to do with the other ways of talking about the future.
How ir a works
The formula has three parts: the right form of ir, the word a, and a verb in the infinitive (the form that ends in -ar, -er or -ir).
| Ir | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| voy a | I'm going to | Voy a llamar a mi madre. |
| vas a | you're going to | ¿Vas a venir a la cena? |
| va a | he's / she's going to, you're going to (usted) | Va a llover. |
| vamos a | we're going to | Vamos a ver una peli. |
| vais a | you're going to (vosotros) | ¿Vais a salir esta noche? |
| van a | they're going to, you're going to (ustedes) | Van a mudarse en enero. |
That's all the grammar you need. The second verb never changes. Whether it's you, your sister or the whole family, it's always llamar, venir, salir.
Vais is the form you'll hear constantly in Spain when someone is talking to a group of friends. It's worth learning, even if your course skipped it.
¡Vamos a comer! usually means "Let's eat!", not "We're going to eat". The tone and the situation make it clear. You'll also hear the short version ¡Vamos! for "Come on!" or "Let's go!"
When you'll use it
Most of the future you talk about in daily life is plans. What you're doing tonight, this weekend, on holiday, next year. That's what ir a is best at. You'll also use it for things that are clearly about to happen: Va a llover (It's going to rain).
To make it useful, you need a few time expressions to go with it.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| esta noche | tonight |
| mañana | tomorrow |
| pasado mañana | the day after tomorrow |
| este fin de semana / este finde | this weekend |
| la semana que viene | next week |
| el año que viene | next year |
| dentro de un rato | in a bit |
| dentro de dos semanas | in two weeks |
| en verano | in the summer |
Este finde is the casual way people in Spain say "this weekend". You'll hear it far more than the full version in conversation.
Here's how a plan grows, one step at a time:
- Voy a ir a Granada.I'm going to go to Granada.
- El mes que viene voy a ir a Granada.Next month I'm going to go to Granada.
- El mes que viene voy a ir a Granada con unos amigos.Next month I'm going to go to Granada with some friends.
- El mes que viene voy a ir a Granada con unos amigos para ver la Alhambra.Next month I'm going to go to Granada with some friends to see the Alhambra.
Voy a ir (I'm going to go) sounds like it repeats itself, but it's completely normal in Spanish, just as it is in English.
The present tense does the job too
In Spain, people very often use the plain present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time word in the sentence.
- Mañana trabajo. (I'm working tomorrow.)
- El sábado ceno con mis padres. (I'm having dinner with my parents on Saturday.)
- ¿Qué haces esta noche? (What are you doing tonight?)
- Te llamo luego. (I'll call you later.)
That last one is worth noticing. For quick offers and promises, where English uses "I'll", Spanish usually uses the present. Te ayudo (I'll help you). Ahora voy (I'll be right there). Lo miro y te digo (I'll have a look and let you know).
In English, "I'm going to the cinema tonight" describes a plan. In Spanish, Estoy yendo al cine means you're on your way there right now. For a plan, say Esta noche voy al cine or Esta noche voy a ir al cine.
Here's how the two ways mix in a normal chat:
What about iré, hablaré and the rest?
Spanish also has a single-word future: iré (I'll go), hablaré (I'll speak), tendré (I'll have). It's worth being able to recognise it, because you'll hear and read it. But in everyday conversation, ir a and the present cover most of what you'll need.
| Ir a + infinitive | Simple future | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Voy a llamarte. | Te llamaré. |
| Feels like | Normal, everyday | A bit more formal or definite |
| Best for | Plans, things about to happen | Predictions, formal promises, guesses |
| Should you use it now? | Yes, all the time | Recognise it for now, use it later |
The simple future has one use that surprises learners: guessing about the present. ¿Qué hora será? means "I wonder what time it is". Estará en el trabajo means "She's probably at work". You don't need to use this yet, but it helps to know what's going on when you hear it.
When you're ready to learn it, the endings are the same for every verb (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án), which makes it one of the easier tenses. There are just a few irregular stems, like tendr-, har- and podr-.
Other ways to talk about plans
Once ir a feels comfortable, these add a bit of variety. They all work the same way: a verb, then an infinitive.
- Quiero… (I want to…): Quiero aprender a surfear.
- Pienso… (I'm planning to…): Pienso quedarme aquí unos años.
- Tengo que… (I have to…): Tengo que ir al banco mañana.
- Me gustaría… (I'd like to…): Me gustaría viajar más.
Open the calendar on your phone and look at the next seven days. For each thing in it, say a sentence out loud with voy a or the present. El martes voy al dentista. El jueves voy a cenar con Ana. If a day is empty, say what you're going to do anyway. It takes two minutes, it's always about your real life, and there's new material every week.
Common mistakes
Voy comer. Leaving out the a.
Voy a comer. The a is always there.
Voy a como. Changing the second verb.
Keep the second verb in the infinitive: Voy a comer.
Estoy yendo al cine esta noche for a plan.
Esta noche voy al cine.
Using ayudaré for a quick offer. It sounds oddly formal.
Te ayudo. The present works for "I'll".
Avoiding the future because the tense looks hard.
Use ir a. It's what most people say anyway.
Talking about plans ties in closely with the past. When the weekend is over, you'll want to say what you did, so how to talk about your weekend in Spanish is a good next step. For the past tenses themselves, see preterite vs imperfect, made simple.
Recap
- Use ir a + infinitive for plans: voy a, vas a, va a, vamos a, vais a, van a.
- Learn a handful of time expressions like mañana, este finde and la semana que viene.
- Use the present for fixed plans and quick offers: Mañana trabajo, Te llamo luego.
- Recognise the simple future (iré, hablaré), but don't worry about using it yet.
- Practise with your real plans for the week, out loud.
In 100 Spanish Conversations, grammar like ir a comes inside the conversations where you need it, like making plans and talking about your weekend. If you want someone to check your plans for the week, post them in the Skool community.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com