Tomorrow: two futures
Spanish has two futures, and conversation prefers the first: ir a plus the plain verb. Only ir changes: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Voy a hacer la maleta — the decision is already made. For example: “Mañana voy a hacer la maleta” — Tomorrow I am going to pack. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Spanish has two futures, and conversation prefers the first: ir a plus the plain verb. Only ir changes: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Voy a hacer la maleta — the decision is already made.
The second is the futuro simple. The endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án hook onto the whole infinitive: viajaré, comeré, viviré. It fits distant plans, promises and forecasts: el vuelo saldrá a las diez.
A dozen common verbs shorten the stem: tener → tendr-, poder → podr-, hacer → har-, decir → dir-. The endings stay the same.
The surprise: in Spain this form usually means a guess about now. ¿Dónde está Ana? — Estará en la playa is 'she is probably at the beach'.
Table
| ir a + infinitive | futuro simple | |
|---|---|---|
| yo | voy a viajar | viajaré |
| tú | vas a viajar | viajarás |
| él / ella / usted | va a viajar | viajará |
| nosotros | vamos a viajar | viajaremos |
| ellos / ustedes | van a viajar | viajarán |
By example
- Mañana voy a hacer la maletaTomorrow I am going to pack
- El vuelo saldrá con dos horas de retrasoThe flight will leave with a two-hour delay
- Estará en la playa, no coge el teléfonoHe's probably at the beach — he isn't picking up
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Tomorrow: how does it work in Spanish?
Spanish has two futures, and conversation prefers the first: ir a plus the plain verb. Only ir changes: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Voy a hacer la maleta — the decision is already made.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Mañana voy a hacer la maleta” — Tomorrow I am going to pack. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.