Ir or Irme??
When I used the sentence 'Tengo que ir' to tell that 'I have to go', I've been corrected that it should be 'Tengo que irme.'
Why is it so? I mean 'ir' is a verb which means 'to go'. And 'tengo que' means 'I have to'. Could you please explain?
Thank you 
12 Answers
When I used the sentence 'Tengo que ir' to tell that 'I have to go', I've been corrected that it should be 'Tengo que irme.'
Why is it so? I mean 'ir' is a verb which means 'to go'. And 'tengo que' means 'I have to'. Could you please explain?
"Ir" requires a destination (even though it is implicit), but the starting location is purely optional.
"Irse" implies leaving the starting location, but the destination is purely optional.
Think of them as different verbs.
If you say "Tengo que ir", your focus is on the destination, but you haven't even mentioned one. "You have to go to..." (silence) "to..." (more silence). The sentence is incomplete.
On the other hand, in "Tengo que irme", the focus is on the starting point, and no one expects any specific destination. You are just leaving the place, that's all (of course, you can optionally add a destination).
Saying simply "Voy", without a clear destination, is almost like saying "I require", and stop there. You require... what''? You can only say "Voy" if the destination has been previously established.
Heidi, "noob" is short for "newbie".. someone who is very new at something. His comment was self-deprecating.
I'm a noob.
Jason, what is a noob? 
HI anne, I have moved your thread to the grammar category. I hope you understood Lazarus, if you have any more questions , please ask.
I think you said this on the chat and when you said: Tengo que ir....I or somebody else probably asked: where to?
Tengo que irme: I got to go.
When I used the sentence 'Tengo que ir' to tell that 'I have to go', I've been corrected that it should be 'Tengo que irme.'
Why is it so? I mean 'ir' is a verb which means 'to go'. And 'tengo que' means 'I have to'. Could you please explain?
Thank you
Ir - to go (to go where? somewhere, anywhere).
Tengo que ir a la escuela - I have to go to school.
Irse - to go away (I have to leave where I am now and go somewhere else, where? it doesn´t matter)
Tengo que irme - I have to leave
Me voy - I am going.
Does that make any sense'
It was a comment that Jason made, not you, Anne. Have you read it? I apologize again for any misunderstanding.
NO, because of "Not that it means much", I don't know, I thought it was funny, no offense.
lol, that was funny.
What's funny'? I'm serious here.
lol, that was funny.
Is it because you have to be reflexive when the action verb of the sentence is on the noun? I never really thought of "irme" before but "Tengo que irme" looks correct to me... not that, that means much,
I'm a noob.
It's more of I have to let myself go, but if you were to say I have to go only, in spanish, it wouldn't make any sense, like you have to go where? That's why sometimes you can say me tengo que ir, or me voy.
I have to go
Me tengo que ir
Tengo que irme
I have to go to school
Tengo que ir a la escuela and optionally Me tengo que ir a la escuela
