What the apropriate way to use ir?
What the apropriate way to use ir?
2 Answers
Like its English counterpart "to go," the Spanish verb ir can be used with an incredible variety of meanings. The meanings of phrases using ir can't always be determined logically merely by knowing the meanings of the individual words, so they are best learned through actual use or memorization.
By far the most common expression using ir is ir a followed by an infinitive. For most purposes, it is the equivalent of the English "to go to" followed by a verb. Thus "voy a estudiar" means "I am going to study." This use of ir a is extremely common in Spanish, so much so that in some parts of Latin America it is the de facto future tense. So a sentence such as "Vamos a comprar la casa" can be translated as either "We are going to buy the house" or "We will buy the house."
Here are some other common and most basic expressions where ir is used:
ir en + name of vehicle — to travel by (type of vehicle) — Voy en autobús. I am traveling by bus.
ir para + infinitive — to go to verb, to go in order to verb, to go for the purpose of verb — Vamos para conocer a mis padres. We are going in order to meet my parents.
ir para + type of job or career — to go to become type of job — Pablo va para médico. Pablo is going to become a doctor.
ir + gerund — to be doing something, usually with the connotation of doing so gradually or laboriously — Voy aprendiendo la lección. I am slowly learning the lesson. Él va construyendo la casa. He is gradually building the house.
This is a very, very broad question. Are you asking about the verb 'ir' as in 'to go'? Or are you talking about ir endings to verbs?
