Remember the Spanish future tense? It can be used in both formal and informal ways. In this post, we will learn how to transform the formal simple future into its informal equivalent.
In Spanish, the simple future is often expressed informally by using the verb ir + a + infinitive. This structure is equivalent to the English “to be going to”. Example:
Mañana yo voy a hablar con Pepe.
Tomorrow I am going to speak with Pepe.
Leticia va a cantar esta noche.
Leticia is going to sing tonight.
If we translate it literally, it sounds as if we are saying: “Tomorrow I go to speak with Pepe” or “Leticia goes to sing tonight”.
Actually, in daily talk this structure is far more common than the formal simple future:
Mañana yo hablaré con Pepe.
Tomorrow I will speak with Pepe.
Leticia cantará esta noche.
Leticia will sing tonight.
I’ll give you an example with the verb hablar. Listen to Viviana, a voice from Uruguay:
| Español | English |
|---|---|
| yo voy a hablar | I am going to speak |
| tú vas a hablar | you are going to speak |
| usted va a hablar | you (formal) are going to speak |
| él/ella va a hablar | he/she is going to speak |
| nosotros/nosotras vamos a hablar | we are going to speak |
| ustedes van a hablar | you all are going to speak |
| ellos/ellas van a hablar | they are going to speak |
| vos vas a hablar | you are going to speak |
| vosotros/vosotras vais a hablar | we are going to speak |
