Ir Conjugation: Present, Preterite, Imperfect
ir — to go
Ir ('to go') is the strangest verb in Spanish: its preterite is identical to ser's (fui, fuiste, fue...) and context is the only way to tell them apart. 'Fui al café' = I went to the café. Master the three conversational tenses below.
Quick answer
Yo voy.
I go / I'm going.
Present "yo" form. Full present: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Preterite (identical to ser!): fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron.
ir — Present
Movement and near-future: 'Voy al café' — I'm going to the café. 'Voy a hablar' — I'm going to speak.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | voy |
| tú | vas |
| él / ella / usted | va |
| nosotros | vamos |
| vosotros | vais |
| ellos / ustedes | van |
ir — Preterite (past, completed)
A completed trip: 'Fui a Madrid' — I went to Madrid. Identical forms to ser; context decides.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | fui |
| tú | fuiste |
| él / ella / usted | fue |
| nosotros | fuimos |
| vosotros | fuisteis |
| ellos / ustedes | fueron |
ir — Imperfect (past, ongoing)
Habitual or in-progress going: 'Iba a la playa' — I was going / used to go to the beach.
| Pronoun | Spanish form |
|---|---|
| yo | iba |
| tú | ibas |
| él / ella / usted | iba |
| nosotros | íbamos |
| vosotros | ibais |
| ellos / ustedes | iban |
The fui overlap: ser or ir?
'Fui' means both 'I was' and 'I went'. The giveaway is what follows: 'fui a + place' is almost always 'went' (movement), while 'fui + adjective/noun' is 'was'. After a place, it's ir.
Example sentences
Voy a pedir un café.
I'm going to order a coffee.
boh ah peh-DEER oon ca-FÉ
Fui a España el año pasado.
I went to Spain last year.
fwee ah ehs-PAH-nyah ehl AH-nyoh pah-SAH-doh
Íbamos al cine.
We were going to the movies.
EE-bah-mohs ahl SEE-neh
Don't just read it — say it
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More Spanish verb conjugations
ser — to be (identity, essence, permanent traits)
Yo soy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
estar — to be (state, location, feelings)
Yo estoy. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
tener — to have
Yo tengo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
hacer — to do, to make
Yo hago. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
decir — to say, to tell
Yo digo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
poder — to be able to, can
Yo puedo. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
querer — to want; to love (people)
Yo quiero. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect
haber — to have (auxiliary); there is/are
Hay. · Present / Preterite / Imperfect