Section 12.2 · Fully irregular — all five forms start with V · voy · vas · va · vamos · van · ir a + destination · a + el = al contraction · ¡Vamos!
The verb ir (to go) is completely irregular — none of its conjugated forms look anything like the infinitive. Instead of following any recognizable pattern, you must memorize all five forms. The good news: there is one easy memory anchor. Every conjugated form of ir starts with the letter V: voy, vas, va, vamos, van. The tú form vas is easy to remember because, like all tú forms, it ends in -s. This single observation makes the whole verb stick.
Ir is one of the highest-frequency verbs in Spanish. You use it to state where you are going (Voy a la oficina), to describe your daily routine (Voy al trabajo por la mañana), and in the expression ¡Vamos! to encourage action or signal departure. It also connects to an important grammar rule: when a (the preposition) is followed by el (the masculine article), they contract to al — just like de + el = del which you learned earlier.
Voy al hospital. (a + el hospital)
Usted va al banco. (a + el banco)
Vamos al trabajo. (a + el trabajo)
Van al tercer piso. (a + el piso)
Ella va al mercado. (a + el mercado)
Voy a la oficina. (la = feminine)
Usted va a la reunión. (la = feminine)
Vamos a la plaza. (la = feminine)
Van a los parques. (los = plural)
Ella va a las clases. (las = plural fem.)
| Spanish Phrase | English Meaning | al or a la? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ir al trabajo | To go to work | al (el trabajo) | Usted va al trabajo. |
| Ir a la oficina | To go to the office | a la (la oficina) | Yo voy a la oficina. |
| Ir al banco | To go to the bank | al (el banco) | Nosotros vamos al banco. |
| Ir a la casa | To go home | a la (la casa) | Tú vas a la casa. |
| Ir al hospital | To go to the hospital | al (el hospital) | Ella va al hospital. |
| Ir a la reunión | To go to the meeting | a la (la reunión) | Usted va a la reunión. |
| Ir al cine | To go to the movies | al (el cine) | Tú vas al cine hoy. |
| Ir a la escuela | To go to school | a la (la escuela) | Ella va a la escuela. |
Ir is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish. Unlike stem-changing boot verbs or -go yo verbs, ir has no connection whatsoever to its infinitive form in any conjugation. This means there is no pattern to derive — you simply memorize five forms. The memory hook is the shared V: voy, vas, va, vamos, van. The tú form is vas — it carries the characteristic -s ending that all tú forms have, making it easy to spot and remember. In professional conversations, va (usted form) and voy (yo form) are most frequent. Key questions: ¿A dónde vas tú? (Where are you going? — informal) and ¿A dónde va usted? (formal). The nosotros form vamos doubles as the expression ¡Vamos! (Let's go!).
The structure ir + a + destination is the fundamental way to say where someone is going. The preposition a is always required between the conjugated form of ir and the destination noun. This structure applies to all five forms: voy a, vas a, va a, vamos a, van a. The destination then determines whether you use al (if the next word is el) or a la / a los / a las (all other articles). Common professional destinations: al trabajo (to work), a la oficina (to the office), al banco (to the bank), a la reunión (to the meeting), al hospital (to the hospital). Informal questions with tú: ¿Vas al trabajo hoy? (Are you going to work today? — informal)
When the preposition a is immediately followed by the masculine singular article el, they always contract to form al. This is mandatory — you cannot say “a el hospital” in Spanish; it must be al hospital. The article el disappears into the contraction. This rule applies only to masculine singular (el): feminine la, plural los and las do not contract. You already know this principle from de + el = del (the only other contraction in Spanish). So there are exactly two contractions in all of Spanish: del and al. Both involve the article el losing its initial letter after a preposition.
Using ir with common destinations allows you to describe your daily schedule fully. Professional destinations typically use al because many are masculine: al trabajo, al banco, al hospital, al restaurante, al cine, al mercado. Social and domestic destinations often use a la because many are feminine: a la oficina, a la casa, a la reunión, a la escuela, a la plaza, a la biblioteca. When you learn a new destination noun, always note its gender — that determines al vs. a la. A practical shortcut: if you can say el ___ before the place, you will use al. If you say la ___, you use a la.
¡Vamos! is one of the most culturally important expressions in Spanish-speaking America. The same nosotros form of ir that means “we go” doubles as an exclamation meaning “Let's go!” or “Come on!” — used to encourage action, express enthusiasm, or signal that it is time to depart. Context determines whether vamos is a statement (“we are going”) or an exclamation (“let's go!”). In professional settings: ¡Vamos! La reunión empieza ahora (Let's go! The meeting starts now). In casual settings: ¡Vamos, vamos! signals urgency or enthusiasm. The form vamos is also used to soften commands: Vamos a ver (Let's see / We'll see).
Listen to each sentence in Spanish, then repeat aloud during the countdown pause.
Sentences 1–5 drill the four conjugated forms of ir in isolation. Sentences 6–10 practice ir a + masculine destinations using the al contraction. Sentences 11–15 drill ir a + feminine destinations using a la with no contraction. Sentences 16–20 use ¡Vamos!, vamos a ver, and mixed destination questions across all four forms. Sentences 21–25 combine ir with other verbs learned in earlier chapters — salir, poder, querer, hacer — in realistic daily-routine sentences.
Step 1 — V-trigger: Before repeating, identify the subject and confirm the V-form: yo → voy · tú → vas · usted → va · nosotros → vamos · ustedes → van. Say the form silently before the audio plays.
Step 2 — Al or a la? For every destination, decide before repeating: is the place masculine (al) or feminine (a la)? Pause briefly on the article to reinforce gender awareness.
Step 3 — Vamos energy: When a sentence contains ¡Vamos!, say it with genuine energy — slightly louder, slightly faster. This expression lives in its delivery. Flat repetition of ¡Vamos! does not build the natural habit.
The five V-forms chant: Say all five forms rapidly: voy — vas — va — vamos — van. Then add a destination: voy al trabajo — vas al banco — va a la oficina — vamos a la reunión — van al hospital. Repeat until automatic. Ten repetitions of this five-beat rhythm locks in the verb and the al/a la pattern simultaneously. Notice how vas (tú) is the only form with a final -s.
Daily routine sentence: Construct one sentence covering your morning: Yo salgo de la casa a las siete, voy al trabajo en autobús y llego a la oficina a las ocho. This combines salir (11.3), ir (12.2), and llegar into a real, usable sentence. Practice saying it naturally until fluent.
Al detector: Practice with ten places. For each, ask: “Is it el or la?” Then choose al or a la. Hospital (el) → al hospital. Plaza (la) → a la plaza. Banco (el) → al banco. Casa (la) → a la casa. Mercado (el) → al mercado. Biblioteca (la) → a la biblioteca. Cine (el) → al cine. Escuela (la) → a la escuela. Trabajo (el) → al trabajo. Oficina (la) → a la oficina.
Choose the correct answer. 20 questions drawn randomly from a pool of 30.