Tengo que ir...
I've noticed that in the phrasebook here
www.spanishdict.com/phrasebook/search/gotta go
the colloquial phrase, "Gotta go" is translated as "Tengo que ir". Shouldn't that be "tengo que irme" unless you are specifying a particular destination? por ejemplo; "tengo que ir a cena".
7 Answers
"Tengo que ir a cenar" o "Me tengo que ir a cenar" - I have to go to have dinner. Significa que tengo que ir algún sitio, por ejemplo me tengo que ir a cenar ya que me están esperando. I have to go somewhere, for example I have to go to have dinner, my family is waiting me.
"Tengo que irme" o "Me tengo que ir" - I have to leave. Significa que me tengo que marchar. Se usa por ejemplo para cerrar una conversación. Lo siento me tengo que ir ya que llego tarde a trabajar por ejemplo. I have to go but I don't say where, for example to close a conversation: "I'm sorry I have to leave, I'm in a hurry"
La diferencia entre las dos es que des más importancia a el sitio donde te tienes que ir ( primer caso) o al hecho de que te tienes que ir y no puedes continuar haciendo la actividad que estabas llevando a cabo (segundo caso). The difference is that we use "Tengo que ir a ..." if WHERE you are going to go is important in the conversation, and "Tengo que irme" if the most important is that you have to LEAVE and stop whatever you were doing.
I hope it helps you.
Tengo que ir al supermercado - I have to go to the supermarket.
Tengo que irme - I have to leave.
In English, when we say "Gotta go!", we are really implying that we "Gotta leave!", so I think you are correct. The link you gave should be "Tengo que irme".
I think, I'm not sure, in Spanish not always is necessary to put the object pronoun. Well, you already said "Tengo", it indicates that it is yourself the object of the sentence, it would be redundant to say "Tengo que irme". I'm not sure, it's just a suggestion, I hope someone with more knowledge could clarify this question to both of us.
Let's look at the English options:
- gotta go
- I have to leave
- I have to go
Have you heard them all spoken by different people? Is one more correct than the others, ignoring that gotta go is "bad English"?
So why to we think that every Spanish speaker uses one or the other of the Tengo que ir, or Tengo que irme options. Is it really important to understanding what the other person is saying? I think not.
Relax and accept the same differences in usage that we have in English.
I don't know much Spanish, but I have said "Tengo que ir" many times. However I usually say "No tengo much tiempo hoy" first. Let's hope some others will respond to your question.
One could say that language has so many nuances and facets that there can be several correct but different answers at the same time.
Another way to define "irse" is "go away". The commands ¡vete! and ¡váyase! seem to covey that meaning to a large degree.
Thinking about the phrasebook's, "gotta go" entry, it is truly an idiomatic expression in English with it's miss-spelling of "have to" or "got to". The point being, maybe the intent was defining "gotta go" to the non-English speaker.
I questioned this because I have been corrected by a few Spanish (peninsular) natives. Tengo que ir, I was lead to believe, leads into where or what; al baño, a comprar, a comer etc. whereas tengo que irme is simply I (myself) have to go. Yes Gringo... I am aware that gotta go is bad English but I am not the one who put it in the phrasebook and it probably isn't any more incorrect than tengo que ir in this use. I think we all get the idea and understand one way or the other but my question was one of correct grammar.
