Ir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Ir in Spanish

In this article, I’ll introduce you to the Spanish verb ir. We’ll begin by learning about what the verb ir means and when to use it. Then, I’ll show all of the forms of the verb ir and its conjugations. I’ll also give you some example sentences to help you practice. Let’s jump right into it!

Ir is one of the most commonly used verbs in Spanish and it essentially means “to go.” Like many other verbs in Spanish, you’ll notice that ir is an irregular verb. Since it doesn’t follow common conjugation patterns, you’ll have to memorize them instead. But don’t worry, once you understand how the verb works, it won’t be hard!

The verb ir describes an action that involves movement. For instance, a common expression in Spanish that uses three conjugations of ir is “Me voy a ir yendo,” which means “I will get going.” Below is a table of the three main conjugations of the verb ir: the infinitive, the gerund, and the past participle.

Here are three example sentences that use the conjugations of ir from the table above:

• Infinitive: Quiero ir al cine mañana. (I want to go to the movies tomorrow.)
• Gerund: ¡Vamos yendo, se hace tarde! (Let’s get going, it’s getting late!)
• Past Participle: He ido a comprar café. (I have gone to buy coffee.)

Now, let’s look at how to conjugate the verb ir in the different tenses. Click on the tense you want to learn to see its meaning and conjugation chart:

• Present Perfect
• Future Perfect
• Past Perfect (Pluperfect)
• Conditional Perfect
• Preterite Perfect (Past Anterior)

• Present Subjunctive
• Future Subjunctive
• Imperfect Subjunctive

• Present Perfect Subjunctive
• Future Perfect Subjunctive
• Pluperfect Subjunctive

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How to Conjugate Ir in the Indicative Tense

The indicative mood is used in Spanish to talk about facts or truths. Once you’ve learned the conjugations for this tense, you can understand and use the most common forms of the verb ir. The tenses of this mood are the present, future, preterite, imperfect, and conditional.

Indicative Present

The indicative present tense is the most common form of ir. We frequently use this tense to talk about an action that is happening at the moment or in the near future. This is a versatile tense and it can be used with any time marker. Here’s how to conjugate the verb ir in the present tense:

• ¿Para dónde vas? (Where are you going?)
• Voy a visitar a la abuela. (I am going to visit Grandma.)
• Ellos van a ver las luces de Navidad. (They are going to see the Christmas lights.)

Indicative Future

The indicative future tense is the most used future tense in day-to-day Spanish. We use it to express actions that will happen. It’s also common to see it used to express intentions or plans about upcoming events.

Take a look at the conjugation chart for ir in the future tense:

Here are some sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the indicative future tense:

• Esta noche iremos a cenar a casa de un amigo. (Tonight we will go to have dinner at a friend’s house.)
• Iré a trotar esta noche. (I will go running tonight.)
• ¿Iréis a la fiesta de fin de año? (Will you go to the New Year’s Eve party?)

Indicative Preterite

In Spanish, we use the preterite to talk about events that happened in the past. Note that this is the most common past tense form of ir and it’s helpful to express ideas about past actions or situations.

The table below is the conjugation chart for ir in the indicative preterite tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the preterite tense:

• Fuimos a Europa el verano pasado. (We went to Europe last summer.)
• Ellos fueron a revisar la tabla de puntajes. (They went to check the scoreboard.)
• Fuisteis a comer muy temprano anoche. (You went to dinner quite early last night.)

Indicative Imperfect

The indicative imperfect is another common past tense form in Spanish. We use this tense to describe past actions or events that don’t typically have a specific time marker. Instead, we use it to give details or context of a past situation.

Below is a table that shows the imperfect tense conjugations for ir:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the imperfect tense:

• Iba a salir pero empezó a llover. (I was going to go out but it started raining.)
• Cuando nos encontramos, ella iba camino a clase. (When we met, she was going to class.)
• Pensé que ibais al parque, no al cine. (I thought you were going to the park, not the movies.)

Indicative Conditional

We use the indicative conditional tense to talk about a future event that could take place under certain circumstances. It’s often used to talk of possibilities, probabilities, or hypotheses of the future. This is the simple form of the conditional tense for the Spanish verb ir.

In the following table you can see a conjugation chart for this tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the conditional tense:

• ¿Irías a la fiesta si yo voy contigo? (Would you go to the party if I went with you?)
• Iríamos con ustedes, pero tenemos una cena familiar. (We would go with you, but we have a family dinner.)
• Yo iría a ver el partido si estuviera jugando mi equipo. (I would go to watch the game if my team was playing.)

How to Conjugate Ir in the Perfect Tense

Perfect tenses are made up of two parts: the conjugated form of the verb haber (a helping verb) and the past participle of ir (ido). We use them to talk about events that have happened or that will happen. We’ll go over the following perfect tenses: present perfect, future perfect, past perfect, conditional perfect, and preterite perfect.

Present Perfect

We use the present perfect tense to describe events that began in the past and are ongoing. It’s also used to talk about repeated situations or actions or to ask about past events. When using this tense, we communicate that the action that happened still has an influence on the present.

The following is a conjugation chart for ir in the present perfect tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the present perfect tense:

• ¿Habéis ido a probar el nuevo restaurante? (Have you gone to try the new restaurant?)
• He ido al mercado varias veces esta semana. (I have gone to the market a few times this week.)
• Él nunca ha ido a visitar a su madre. (He has never been to visit his mother.)

Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is used to talk about a situation that will happen as the consequence of another event. We normally use it to describe future situations that will likely happen. It’s sometimes used to make speculations about what would’ve happened in the past.

Here’s the future perfect conjugation chart for ir:

These are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the future perfect tense:

• Ellos ya se habrán ido cuando tú llegues. (They will be gone when you get here.)
• En un par de semanas me habré ido. (I will be gone in a couple of weeks.)
• Cuando llegue el verano ya te habréis ido. (You will be gone when summer arrives.)

Past Perfect (Pluperfect)

We use the past perfect when talking about an event that happened just before another one in the past. It’s also used often to describe conditional situations, so it’s common to see it being used along with words like “if” or “when.”

Below is a table of how to conjugate ir in the past perfect tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the past perfect tense:

• Ya había ido a dar un paseo cuando empezó a llover. (I had already gone for a walk when it started raining.)
• Ellos se habían ido trabajar cuando llegué. (They had gone to work when I got there.)
• ¿Habíais ido a ver la exhibición antes? (Had you gone to see the exhibition before?)

Conditional Perfect

The conditional perfect tense is used to talk about unreal events or actions in the past tense. It’s normally used along with conjunctions like “if” or “when.” It’s not unusual to see it used in rhetorical questions about the past, too.

In the following table you can see how to conjugate the verb ir in the conditional perfect tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the conditional perfect tense:

• ¿Habrías ido si te hubiera dado permiso? (Would you have gone if I had given you permission?)
• Nunca habría ido a ese lugar si no hubiera sido necesario. (I would have never gone to that place if it hadn’t been necessary.)
• Habríamos ido pero no sabemos nada de ópera. (We would have gone but we don’t know anything about opera.)

Preterite Perfect (Past Anterior)

The preterite perfect is used to talk about past situations that happened immediately before another one. Keep in mind that this is probably one of the least-used verb forms in modern Spanish. You’ll occasionally find it in academic texts or legal documents.

In the following table you can see the conjugation of ir for this tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the preterite perfect tense:

• Cuando ella hubo ido, no había nadie allí. (When she went, there was nobody there.)
• Ellos hubieron ido a ver el espectáculo el año pasado. (They went to see the show last year.)
• Me extrañó que hubiste ido a ver esa película. (I was surprised that you went to watch that movie.)

How to Conjugate Ir in the Subjunctive Tense

The subjunctive mood helps us express emotions, desires, wishes, hypotheses, and possibilities. Its tone conveys uncertainty about the situation that is being described. You’ll easily identify tenses that belong to this mood since the stem of the conjugations will always be –vaya or –fue. We’ll take a look at the following tenses for this mood: the present subjunctive, future subjunctive, and pluperfect subjunctive.

Present Subjunctive

We commonly use the present subjunctive to refer to present or future events. You’ll find that this tense is frequently used in modern Spanish, and it’ll be helpful to describe a variety of situations. It can be used to describe conditional events, future aspirations, wishes, and to give commands.

Below is a chart that shows how to conjugate ir in the present subjunctive:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the present subjunctive tense:

• Cuando vaya a Nueva York será un sueño cumplido. (When I go to New York it will be a dream come true.)
• No vayáis a salir sin antes avisarme. (Don’t go out without letting me know first.)
• Espero que vayamos a la playa este verano. (I hope we go to the beach this summer.)

Future Subjunctive

We use the future subjunctive to talk about present or future events, hypotheses, or possibilities. This tense is one of those that you’ll rarely see in day-to-day Spanish; you may only come across it in literature or academic texts.

The following is a conjugation chart for this ir verb form:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the future subjunctive tense:

• Nos recomendaron que fuéremos a Europa en verano. (They recommended that we go to Europe during summer.)
• Llevad este pastel cuando fuereis a visitar a la abuela. (Take this cake when you go to visit grandma.)
• Sería genial que fueren a ver a ver el partido. (It would be great if you go to watch the game.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is generally used to describe past situations or alternatives for how the past would have been. It also helps us describe wishes or desires of future events or actions. I’ll show you some example sentences for both cases.

Here’s how to conjugate ir in the imperfect subjunctive tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the imperfect subjunctive tense:

• Ayer dijo que le gustaría que fuéramos a visitarlo. (Yesterday, he said he’d like it if we went to visit him.)
• No es como si fuera de fiesta todo el tiempo. (It’s not like I went out to party all the time.)
• ¡Me gustaría que fuéramos de vacaciones a Costa Rica este año! (I would love it if we went to Costa Rica for this year’s vacation!)

How to Conjugate Ir in the Perfect Subjunctive Tense

Perfect subjunctive tenses help us explain two situations. They’ll either help us talk about past situations that are connected to the present or future events that will happen at a certain point in time. They are made up of the helping verb haber and the past participle of the verb ir (ido). We’ll go over the three following tenses: present perfect subjunctive, future perfect subjunctive, and pluperfect subjunctive.

Present Perfect Subjunctive

We use the present perfect subjunctive to talk about actions that were completed recently or that will be completed in the near future. When using this tense, we want to emphasize the proximity of the event to the present.

Below you can see a table with the different conjugations for ir in this commonly used Spanish tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the present perfect subjunctive tense:

• ¡Qué bueno que hayas ido a hacer ejercico hoy! (It’s so good that you have gone exercise today!)
• Podrán jugar cuando hayáis ido a organizar sus cuartos. (You’ll be able to play when you have gone to organize your rooms.)
• No sabré qué ha pasado hasta que haya ido a verlo yo misma. (I won’t know what has happened until I have gone to see it for myself.)

Future Perfect Subjunctive

The future perfect subjunctive is a tense that you rarely come across, but it’s still useful to be able to understand how it works. We use this tense when describing events that have, or should have, happened or that will have taken place in the future. As with other subjunctive tenses, this tense helps us communicate uncertainty or emotions.

In the table below, you’ll see a conjugation chart for the verb ir in this tense:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in this tense:

• Cuando te hubieres ido de intercambio, tendrás amigos extranjeros. (When you will have gone abroad, you’ll have foreign friends.)
• En caso de que hubiéremos ido a visitarlos, les llevaremos un regalo. (In case we have gone to visit them, we’ll take them a present.)
• Querrán saber qué pasó si yo no hubiere ido a visitarlos. (They will want to know what happened if I have not gone to visit them.)

Pluperfect Subjunctive

In Spanish, we typically use the pluperfect subjunctive to talk about hypothetical situations that might have happened in the past. You’ll notice that this tense is used to talk about what could have been but wasn’t or to refer to an action that happened before another action in the past.

Below, you can see a conjugation chart for the pluperfect subjunctive of ir:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the pluperfect subjunctive tense:

• Me habría encantado que hubieran ido a mi boda. (I would have loved it if you had gone to my wedding.)
• Yo los habría acompañado si ustedes hubieran ido. (I would have accompanied you guys if you had gone.)
• Sé que la obra les habría gustado si hubieran ido a verla. (I am sure you would have liked the play if you had gone to see it.)

How to Conjugate Ir in the Imperative Tense

We use the imperative form of the verb ir to give commands, recommendations, or requests. When using this verb form, we can either have positive or negative commands. It’s important to note that the conjugation of the verb is different if it’s affirmative or negative.

Take a look at the table below for the imperative conjugations of ir in Spanish:

Here are some example sentences showing how to conjugate ir in the imperative tense:

• Ve a tomar un poco de aire fresco. (Go take some fresh air.)
• ¡Vayamos a ver qué pasó! (Let’s go see what happened!)
• Id a la tienda por leche, por favor. (Go to the store for some milk, please.)

Tips for Conjugating Ir Correctly

Dealing with irregular verbs can be overwhelming, but hopefully, the following tips will help you in your learning process!

When learning to conjugate the verb ir in Spanish, it’s important for you to go beyond memorizing a verb conjugation chart. Sure, memorization is necessary and helpful at first. But try to practice conjugations in your everyday use of Spanish and use conjugation tables as a backup.

Another helpful tip is to incorporate the verb in your day-to-day conversations. Here are some common expressions using the verb ir for you to practice: “¡Qué va!” which is roughly translated to “No way!” or “¡Vaya usted a saber!” which closely means “Who knows!” You’ll soon notice that this is quite a versatile verb, so have fun conjugating it and practicing as much as you can.

Remember, when practicing with native speakers, don’t worry if you forget how to conjugate the verb sometimes. They’ll understand what you’re trying to say and most likely correct you so you can have it right next time!

Ways to Practice Conjugating Ir

Ir is one of the most used verbs in Spanish, so learning its conjugations is important. The best way to learn and remember is to practice. Luckily, there are many ways to practice Spanish based on your learning style. For example, a language app can help you practice in a fun and interactive way. If you prefer in-depth explanations, a Spanish book is a better way to go. Online courses are a great way to study if you like to follow a set lesson plan.

However you choose to practice, stick with it, and don’t give up. Learning Spanish verb conjugations and how to use them correctly is often one of the most difficult parts of learning the language. But with time and patience, you’ll be able to use the verb ir without hesitation!

Ir Conjugation FAQ

To conjugate the verb ir in Spanish, decide whether you want to use it in infinitive, gerund, or past participle form. If you want to express ideas in the present or future, you’ll most likely use a form of infinitive or its gerund. If you’re expressing ideas in the past, you’ll most likely use a tense with its past participle.

The most common past tense form of ir is fui which is the preterite tense. Some other common past tense conjugations of ir you can come across are the indicative imperfect (iba) or the pluperfect (había ido).

The gerund for the verb ir is yendo. We use it to describe actions happening at the moment or events that involve movement. To use the gerund for ir (yendo) we normally use a helping verb like estar. For instance, to say “We are going” we would say “Estamos yendo.”

The verb ir in Spanish means to go. However, some other common meanings you can come across are to leave, to chase, to pass by, to head to, or to run away. This is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish, so you can find it in a variety of different situations and expressions.

María José Escobar

Maria is a Business Engineering student from Colombia who is passionate about learning. She loves traveling the world and connecting with different cultures. Her dream is to be a world citizen and help others learn about the things she loves, including Spanish, her native language, and her culture. Connect with Maria on LinkedIn.