Lesson 2.2 A + Infinitive = double A?

Question

In Lesson 2.2 Paralee gave the formula Ir + A + infinitive. Since infinitives already have "A" in them, as in "Comer" - to eat, isn't the extra "A" redundant? I am going to to eat? or Voy a comer?

techinically, YES, it is redundant. you will find that there is a lot of redundancy in Spanish as well as tons of phrases that would consist of double negatives in Spanish. - Rivera0612, Mar 14, 2012

thanks for your speedy response - theruss, Mar 14, 2012

Answer 1

The thing about learning a new language is that you can't always compare it to your own. Not all languages follow the same rules. I have found it very useful to try to learn languages like a child. Monkey see, monkey do. Hope this helped.

Answer 2

You'll notice that the infinitive is not actually with an "a." The plain infinitive (like "comer") has no "a" in front of it, as you'll see if you look it up in a dictionary.. Only in English do the infinitives contain a "to." Spanish doesn't have this. While it may seem redundant from a English perspective, it is not from a Spanish one. You just have to know with which verbs the "a" must be used. "A" used in Spanish denotes a direction towards, or an intention, similar to "para" but a little different. In English, the "to" in front of infinitives really has no grammatical function except to denote infinitives. Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi and welcome to the forum.

isn't the extra "A" redundant?

Great question!

Some formulas in a language are just that way, no reason given---it's simply something that you have to follow to speak correctly.

1) Voy a + infinitive = I am going to (eat)

2) Después de + infinitive = After (I eat)

Gracias Mariana, responsive helpful crowd here. 8-) - theruss, Mar 14, 2012