Ir, Irse, Irme, etc.

Question

I know there are various verbs in Spanish that end in -se and -me such as the examples provided. But I'm a little unclear as to the rules regarding that.

For example, I understand that "I have to go." is "Tengo que irme." But what I don't understand is why it's not just, "Tengo que ir."

If there is a good resource one of you kind folks can point me to, I'd much appreciate it. Of course a full explanation here is fine too and might provoke some good discussion.

Answer 1

As David and Eddy have said, tengo que ir and irme are both perfectly correct, but mean different things. One is "I have to go" and the other is "I have to leave." Also, remember that "Me tengo que ir" is the same as "Tengo que irme."

• ¿Quieres ir al cine con nosotros?
• Me gustaría, pero tengo que ir a una boda.
• ¿Cuándo?
• Tengo que irme dentro de poco.

Answer 2

a good rule of thumb in this case is:
ir = to go (with a specific place in mind)
irse = to go away, to leave

Answer 3

I can explain the "irme". Well "me" is actually the pronoun for me. I don't see why it's used here, but here's an example of how to use a pronoun with two verbs.

No puedo explicar yo. {I cannot explain myself}}

the pronoun can be inserted as:

No me puedo explicar. {pronoun in front of both verbs}}

O

No puedo explicarme. {pronoun added to the second and non-conjugated verb to make one big word}}

I really don't see the need for "me" at the end or ir, though. But,hey, English isn't the easiest language either.

Answer 4

Hi Difster, try this site for some examples. It might make things clearer. Just click on the link.

<http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php't=135851>