Irregular Verbs: Ir and Dar

The verbs ir (to go) and dar (to give) are among the most frequently used verbs in Spanish, and both are highly irregular. They do not follow any of the standard conjugation patterns. The good news is that their forms are short and easy to memorise with practice.

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Ir (To Go)

Conjugation

Subject	Conjugation	Translation
yo	voy	I go
tu	vas	you go
el / ella / usted	va	he/she goes, you (formal) go
nosotros / nosotras	vamos	we go
vosotros / vosotras	vais	you all go
ellos / ellas / ustedes	van	they go, you all (formal) go

Ir is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish. None of its present tense forms resemble the infinitive ir at all — they all begin with v-.

Note: Vamos is also used as an exclamation meaning "Let's go!" — you will hear this constantly in spoken Spanish.

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Uses of Ir

1. Movement and Destination

The most basic use of ir is to express going somewhere. It is almost always followed by a (to):

• Voy a la escuela. — I go to school.
• Ella va al supermercado. — She goes to the supermarket.
• Vamos a la playa. — We go to the beach.
• ?Adonde vas? — Where are you going?

Remember: a + el = al. You say "Voy al parque" (not "Voy a el parque").

2. Near Future: Ir + a + Infinitive

One of the most important structures in Spanish is using ir + a + infinitive to express what someone is going to do. This is the most common way to talk about the near future in everyday speech:

• Voy a estudiar. — I am going to study.
• Ella va a cocinar. — She is going to cook.
• Vamos a ver una pelicula. — We are going to watch a movie.
• ?Vas a venir a la fiesta? — Are you going to come to the party?
• Ellos van a viajar a Francia. — They are going to travel to France.

Tip: This structure is extremely useful for beginners. Even before you learn the future tense, you can express future plans using ir + a + infinitive.

3. Common Expressions with Ir

Expression	Meaning
ir de compras	to go shopping
ir de vacaciones	to go on vacation
ir de paseo	to go for a walk
ir en coche / autobus / tren	to go by car / bus / train
ir a pie	to go on foot / to walk
ir bien / mal	to go well / badly

Examples:

• Vamos de compras el sabado. — We are going shopping on Saturday.
• ?Van de vacaciones este verano? — Are they going on vacation this summer?
• Voy al trabajo en autobus. — I go to work by bus.
• Todo va bien. — Everything is going well.

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Dar (To Give)

Conjugation

Subject	Conjugation	Translation
yo	doy	I give
tu	das	you give
el / ella / usted	da	he/she gives, you (formal) give
nosotros / nosotras	damos	we give
vosotros / vosotras	dais	you all give
ellos / ellas / ustedes	dan	they give, you all (formal) give