72 Talking about the future
In English you can talk about the future in a number of ways. You can use the future, as
in ‘I will travel to Spain’, or a construction such as ‘to be going to’ followed by an
infinitive, for example ‘I am going to stay with friends’. Alternatively, and especially
with verbs which indicate movement, you could use the present, as in ‘I leave early
tomorrow’. Spanish has similar constructions and, as in English, these are not always
interchangeable. The sections which follow will teach you how to express the idea of
future in Spanish, in relation to intentions, the immediate future and events, covering
all the main constructions, starting with the most common and leading into less
frequent forms. You will also learn how to convey promises, and to express possibility,
probability and uncertainty in relation with the future.72.1 Expressing plans and intentions
Plans and intentions are normally expressed in Spanish with the following
constructions:72.1.1 Present of ir+a+ infinitive
If we refer to future plans and intentions in relation to the present moment, we need to
use the present of ir, followed by a+ infinitive, which has an equivalent in the English
expression ‘to be going to’+ infinitive. This construction is very common in Spanish,
especially in informal spoken language, where it has virtually replaced the future (see
72.1.5 below). Compared with other expressions, such as pensar+ infinitive, ‘to be
thinking of’+ gerund (see 72.1.3 below) and tener la intención de+ infinitive, ‘to
intend to’+ infinitive (see 72.1.4 below), the construction with ir a, expresses more
resoluteness than the others. 20.2 (p. 97)
¿Qué vas a hacer?
What are you going to do?
Voy a ir al cine.
I’m going to the cinema.Vamos a trabajar.
We’re going to work.¿Dónde van a pasar las vacaciones?
Where are they going to spend their holidays?