when do you use va(going). vs when do you need se va?

Question

When do you need to say "se va" and when do you say 'va'. To say someone is going somewhere?

Answer 1

We have several previous discussions on ir versus irse if you care to make a search.

One example:

ir and irse

¡Bienvenida al foro!

Welcome to the forum!

Answer 2

As I understand it, if you want to get across the idea that someone is leaving, you use "irse" or in your case, "se va". Example: "El ave se va de su nido." The bird leaves its nest. If it is just going without the idea of leaving, you use just "ir" or in your case "va". Example: "Ella va a tiena para comprar queso." She goes to the store to buy cheese. There may be exceptions. I will leave it up to others to elaborate.