Severn Spanish

Phrasal future III: Imperfect

 

Introduction/Review

Remember learning about the phrasal future (ir + a +infintive)? Well as it happens, this compound tense can work when ir is conjugated in a tense other than the present — for instance, the imperfect. Before we move on to that, however, brush up on the phrasal future with ir in the present.

 

The Imperfect and the Phrasal Future

You might be wondering how it is possible to combine a compound tense that expresses the future with a tense used to talk about the past. But let’s say that you were going to do something in the past, but had not done it yet. For example, “I was going to clean my room, but I went out with my friends instead.” This is when you would need the phrasal future, but with ir in the imperfect instead of the present. In case you aren’t familiar with the conjugations, here they are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than making sure ir is in the imperfect, the construction of the phrasal future stays the same: simply add a + infinitive to the conjugated form of ir, and you’re good to go!

Examples:

Iba a estudiar para el examen, pero mis amigos me invitaron al concierto. (I was going to study for the test, but my friends invited me to the concert.)

Ellas iban a lavar el coche. (They were going to wash the car.)

Ibas a lavar los platos, pero todavía hay vasos sucios en la mesa. (You were going to wash the dishes, but there are still dirty glasses on the table.)