Phrasal future I
Review
Before beginning this section, you need to be very familiar with the concept of conjugation and the conjugations of ir in the present tense (for a brief refresher, take a look at the table below). You should also understand infinitives.
Construction
In Spanish and English, there are two main ways to talk about the future. One is the formal future tense, which requires you to learn a whole new set of conjugations. The other is the phrasal future, which is a compound tense. A compound tense is a tense that has more than one verb involved. This might sound more complex than the formal future, but the great thing about the phrasal future is that you only need to know the present tense of ir, which you already do!
The phrasal future in English is almost exactly the same — “going to _____,” which implies that at some point in the future you will do the action in the blank. That is where the second verb comes in. This second verb will be an infinitive, and it is the action that the subject is going to do.
Examples:
Yo voy a montar en bicicleta. (I am going to ride my bike.)
Ustedes van a tocar la guitarra. (You are going to play guitar.)
Nosotras vamos a ir al parque. (We are going to go to the park.)
If this seems complex, don’t panic. Here are a few easy steps to follow:
Practice
Next topics:
Phrasal future: ir + a + infinitive
This is a compound tense that translates as "going to ______."
Steps to using:
1. Identify subject.
2. Conjugate ir appropriately.
3. Add a and the infinitive of the main verb.
Quick reference:
Other resources:
Formula for the phrasal future:
conjugated form of ir + a + infinitive
1. Identify the subject — who or what is going to do something?
2. Conjugate ir to fit the subject.
3. Add a and then the infinitive of the action the person is going to do.
