In Spanish language verbal periphrasis is a verbal construction made of two verbs. The first verb is conjugated while the second is expressed in its impersonal form, i.e. infinitive, gerund or participle.
In a previous post of our Spanish school blog, we have introduced the verbal periphrasis, explaining the ESTAR + gerund verbal construction. In this post we continue exploring this topic, analyzing the IR + A + infinitive and its functions.
IR A + infinitive is used to express an imminent action that is going to happen in the next future.
With present indicative tense of IR + A + infinitive we can talk or ask about a future action. This action expresses an obvious or logical consequence of something that is currently happening.
Structure of the periphrasis
Present indicative IR: voy/vas/va/vamos/vais/van + A + INFINITIVE
Examples
Se me ha estropeado la caldera. Voy a llamar al servicio técnico.
My boiler is not working. I am going to call the technical assistance.
No saltes encima de la cama. Te vas a caer
Don’t jump on the bed. You will fall down.
El cielo está lleno de nubes. Esta noche va a llover
The sky is full of clouds. Tonight it will rain.
Furthermore, this verbal periphrasis is also used to communicate about intentions, plans d and decisions and to ask about other people’s ones.
Examples
La semana que viene me voy de viaje a Irlanda
Next week I am going to Ireland
Vas a ir a cine el domingo que viene?
Are you going to the cinema next Sunday?
El año que viene me voy a casar
Next year I am going to get married
Besides, we can also use this construction in past form. With imperfect indicative tense of IR + A + infinitive, we can express the same message above mentioned, referring to a past situation or context.
Structure of the periphrasis
Imperfect indicative IR: iba/ibas/iba/íbamos/ibais/iban + A + INFINITIVE
Examples
Estaba claro que se iba a poner enferma. No llevaba abrigo.
It was clear that she was going to get sick. She didn’t wear her coat.
Había mucho tráfico. Iba a llegar tarde.
There was a lot of traffic. I was going to arrive late.
We hope this post will help you with your Spanish studies. Weekly, our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem publishes post on Spanish grammar and language to make your learning process easier!
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