A Comprehensive Guide to the 'Ir' Conjugation Chart in Spanish

The Spanish verb ‘ir’ is one of the most used and most important verbs in the language. Translated to English as ‘to go’, it’s a verb that you’ll encounter early on in your language learning journey. However, ‘ir’ is also one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, which means its conjugation doesn’t follow the standard rules. This article will serve as a comprehensive guide to the ‘ir’ conjugation chart, helping you understand its present, preterite, imperfect, future, and conditional forms.

• Understanding ‘Ir’ in Present Tense
• ‘Ir’ in the Preterite Tense
• ‘Ir’ in the Imperfect Tense
• ‘Ir’ in the Future Tense
• ‘Ir’ in the Conditional Tense
• Common Phrases Using ‘Ir’

Understanding ‘Ir’ in Present Tense

In the present tense, ‘ir’ is particularly irregular. Here’s the conjugation chart:

Person	Spanish
I go	Yo voy
You (informal) go	Tú vas
He/She/It goes/You (formal) go	Él/Ella/Usted va
We go	Nosotros/Nosotras vamos
You (plural, informal) go	Vosotros/Vosotras vais
They go/You (plural, formal) go	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes van

Notice that none of these conjugations look like the infinitive ‘ir’. In fact, if you were to try and apply the regular verb endings for ‘ar’, ‘er’, or ‘ir’ verbs to ‘ir’, you’d end up with a completely different set of words. This is what makes ‘ir’ so irregular, and why it’s crucial to memorize its conjugation.

‘Ir’ in the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. Here’s how you conjugate ‘ir’:

Person	Spanish
I went	Yo fui
You (informal) went	Tú fuiste
He/She/It went/You (formal) went	Él/Ella/Usted fue
We went	Nosotros/Nosotras fuimos
You (plural, informal) went	Vosotros/Vosotras fuisteis
They went/You (plural, formal) went	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes fueron

Just as in the present tense, the preterite conjugations of ‘ir’ bear no resemblance to the infinitive. Note that the preterite conjugation of ‘ir’ is identical to the preterite conjugation of ‘ser’ (to be). The context will usually make it clear which verb is being used.

‘Ir’ in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense is used to talk about ongoing or incomplete actions in the past. Here’s how ‘ir’ is conjugated in this tense:

Person	Spanish
I was going	Yo iba
You (informal) were going	Tú ibas
He/She/It was going/You (formal) were going	Él/Ella/Usted iba
We were going	Nosotros/Nosotras íbamos
You (plural, informal) were going	Vosotros/Vosotras ibais
They were going/You (plural, formal) were going	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes iban

In the imperfect, ‘ir’ becomes a bit more regular, with the root ‘ib’ followed by the standard imperfect endings for ‘ar’ verbs.

‘Ir’ in the Future Tense

In the future tense, ‘ir’ becomes regular, taking on the standard future endings for

all verbs. Here’s the conjugation:

Person	Spanish
I will go	Yo iré
You (informal) will go	Tú irás
He/She/It will go/You (formal) will go	Él/Ella/Usted irá
We will go	Nosotros/Nosotras iremos
You (plural, informal) will go	Vosotros/Vosotras iréis
They will go/You (plural, formal) will go	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes irán

This conjugation is relatively straightforward, as it simply involves adding the future endings to the infinitive form of the verb.

‘Ir’ in the Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used to express actions that would happen under certain circumstances. ‘Ir’ is regular in this tense as well. Here’s how you conjugate it:

Person	Spanish
I would go	Yo iría
You (informal) would go	Tú irías
He/She/It would go/You (formal) would go	Él/Ella/Usted iría
We would go	Nosotros/Nosotras iríamos
You (plural, informal) would go	Vosotros/Vosotras iríais
They would go/You (plural, formal) would go	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes irían

This conjugation is similar to the future tense, except that it uses the conditional endings instead of the future ones.

Common Phrases Using ‘Ir’

Now that we’ve looked at the ‘ir’ conjugation chart in detail, let’s explore some common phrases that use ‘ir’:

1. Voy a hacerlo: This phrase uses ‘ir’ in the first person present tense, followed by ‘a’ and the infinitive form of another verb. It’s a common way to express the near future, and it means ‘I am going to do it’.

2. Fui al cine: This sentence uses ‘ir’ in the first person preterite tense, and it means ‘I went to the cinema’.

3. ¿Vas a venir a la fiesta?: This question uses ‘ir’ in the second person present tense, again to express the near future. It means ‘Are you coming to the party?’

4. Nos fuimos temprano: Here, ‘ir’ is used in the first person plural preterite tense, and the sentence means ‘We left early’.

In conclusion, mastering the conjugation of ‘ir’ is crucial for anyone learning Spanish. It’s used in a wide range of contexts, from simple present tense statements to more complex future and conditional sentences. Remember that while ‘ir’ is irregular in the present and preterite tenses, it follows regular conjugation rules in the imperfect, future, and conditional tenses. Practice often, and soon enough, using ‘ir’ will become second nature!