"Go/Goes" and "Going"

Question

Is there any difference between "go/goes" and "going" in Spanish?

I am going to the bank = Voy al banco. I go to the bank = Voy al banco. He goes to the bank = Él va al banco. He is going to the bank = Él va al banco.

What if I am telling someone that I'm going to the bank, but I haven't left yet? Like, "I will be going to the bank in 5 minutes". Do I have to use the future tense in Spanish to mean "I am going" in this way? Does this even make any sense?

Answer 1

Voy a ir el banco en cinco minutos, to say what you are going to do you conjugate ir + a + the infinative of the action verb.

thanks! :) - jever, Aug 31, 2010

Answer 2

Voy al banco = I go to the bank / I am going to the bank

Voy a ir al banco en diez minutos = I am going to go to the bank in ten minutes

This construction is used, as Ken rightly suggests, to indicate an action that will take place in the immediate/near future.

Voy a ir al banco mañana por la mañana = I will go/am going to go to the bank tomorrow morning

The Spanish tend to use the Present indicative tense in situations where the English would use the Future tense

But the future tense is used to indicate an action/state of being that will take place at some time in the future:
eg Iremos al banco la semana que viene = We will go to the bank next week

I hope that this helps