grammar.verbs.ir-a-infinitive
Ir a + infinitive: the spoken future
Voy a llamar, vamos a ver: the default future of conversation. In the imperfect, iba a = 'was going to'.
grammarA1✓ Geprüftv0.1.0
Erklärung
Conjugated ir + a + infinitive covers plans and intentions: voy a cocinar esta noche, van a subir los precios. The a is obligatory.
Past version iba a + infinitive expresses interrupted or unrealized intent: iba a escribirte, pero me quedé sin batería.
In speech this periphrastic future has almost entirely replaced the synthetic future (hablaré) for plans and predictions — voy a hablar con él feels more natural than hablaré con él. The synthetic future survives mainly for conjecture (será tarde, 'it must be late') and formal or written registers.
Beispiele
Vamos a necesitar más tiempo.
We're going to need more time.
We're going to need more time.
Region: global
Iba a comprar, pero el precio subió.
I was going to buy, but the price went up.
I was going to buy, but the price went up.
Region: global
Mañana vamos a firmar el contrato; íbamos a hacerlo hoy, pero faltó un papel.
Tomorrow we're going to sign the contract; we were going to do it today, but a document was missing.
Tomorrow we're going to sign the contract; we were going to do it today, but a document was missing.
Region: global