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'.
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Explanation
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.
Examples
We're going to need more time.
Region: global
I was going to buy, but the price went up.
Region: global
Tomorrow we're going to sign the contract; we were going to do it today, but a document was missing.
Region: global