01 · Going somewhere, not doing something
Voy al supermercado.
I'm going to the supermarket.
This is just ir — plain "going". No "a + infinitive" needed when you're literally headed somewhere.
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Vamos
Say your plans for tonight, tomorrow and the weekend, out loud in Spanish.
Ir + a + infinitive is how Spanish speakers actually talk about the future: conjugate ir (voy, vas, va, vamos, van), keep the a, and leave the second verb alone — voy a estudiar español, I'm going to study Spanish. The a is not optional (voy a comer, never voy comer), and only ir conjugates (voy a hablar, not voy a hablo). In everyday conversation this construction beats the formal future tense (hablaré, comeré) by a mile — master it and your plans, predictions and invitations all come from one pattern. Bonus: vamos a cenar can mean "we're going to have dinner" or "let's have dinner", depending on your tone.
Below: the phrases that carry your plans, the mistakes that give beginners away, and a way to say it all out loud in a real exchange — no conjugation tables, no fill-in-the-blanks.
The warm-up pack
The one pattern that carries every weekend plan, prediction and excuse — said out loud, not conjugated on paper.
01 · Going somewhere, not doing something
Voy al supermercado.
I'm going to the supermarket.
This is just ir — plain "going". No "a + infinitive" needed when you're literally headed somewhere.
02 · The pattern that carries the whole badge
Voy a estudiar español.
I'm going to study Spanish.
Conjugate ir, keep the a, leave the second verb alone. That's the whole future tense, right there.
03 · Ask them their plans
¿Vas a cocinar esta noche?
Are you going to cook tonight?
Swap "voy" for "vas" and you've turned a statement into a real question — nothing else changes.
04 · Predicting, not planning
Va a llover mañana.
It's going to rain tomorrow.
Same pattern works for what's about to happen, not just what you intend — weather, guesses, anything.
05 · We're going to (or let's)
Vamos a celebrar tu cumpleaños.
We're going to celebrate your birthday.
Said with a plan in mind it's "we're going to"; said with energy it's "let's" — same words, tone decides.
06 · The last conjugation to nail
Ellos van a viajar a México.
They're going to travel to Mexico.
Van is the one people forget under pressure. Voy, vas, va, vamos, van — that's the whole set.
07 · What you'll actually get asked
¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana?
What are you going to do this weekend?
The opener every casual conversation reaches for. Answer it with two or three "voy a…"s and you're talking, not translating.
08 · Asking when, not what
¿Cuándo van a llegar?
When are they going to arrive?
Same "van a" you already have — just move the question word to the front.
09 · Saying no without shutting the door
No voy a poder ir.
I'm not going to be able to go.
"No" sits right before "voy", not anywhere else. It's the polite, natural way to decline.
10 · When it's a schedule, not a plan
El tren sale a las ocho.
The train leaves at eight.
Fixed timetables use plain present tense, not ir a — a train doesn't "go to leave", it just leaves.
11 · Talk yourself into it
Vamos a ver qué pasa.
Let's see what happens.
One of the most-used phrases in the language, and you already have every piece of it.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/vamosRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Carla
Your grammar teacher for this pack
There are no conjugation tables to fill in here. In the Vamos lessons you talk, and Carla keeps pulling your plans out of you: ¿qué vas a hacer este fin de semana? — give her two or three real answers with voy a…. She takes one verb and spins it around the table — voy a comer, vas a comer, vamos a comer — then flips the script and has you ask the questions: ¿qué vas a hacer?, ¿adónde vas? Out loud, in the moment, until "going to" stops needing translation.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Vamos is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Ir is fully irregular — there's no pattern to derive, just a set to memorize: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. (Vais belongs to Spain; Latin America doesn't use that form.) Pair each with its pronoun until it's automatic.
No — only ir conjugates. The second verb always stays in the infinitive: voy a hablar, never voy a hablo. And the a is mandatory: voy a comer, never voy comer.
Both mean you'll speak, but voy a hablar is what people actually say in conversation. The formal future (hablaré, comeré) survives mostly in writing and formal speech — at A1, ir a + infinitive is the only future you need.
Both — context and tone decide. Vamos a cenar can be a plan (we're going to have dinner) or a suggestion (let's have dinner). Vamos a ver qué pasa = let's see what happens; and plain ¡vamos, que llegamos tarde! is just "let's go, we're late!"
Bolt a time expression onto the pattern: voy a correr mañana, vamos a cenar fuera esta noche, va a empezar el próximo lunes. Locals compress it — in Mexico you'll hear el finde for the weekend and ahorita for "in a bit"; in the Caribbean, el lunes que viene for next Monday.