Go in Spanish: “Ir”, “Vamos” and Other Phrases (+ Easy Conjugation Tips)
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You’re probably familiar with phrases like ¡Vamos! (“Let’s go!”) in Spanish. But have you mastered the irregular verb ir (“go”) in Spanish yet?
“Go” is one of the most common verbs, so it’s one you’ll want to get the hang of first. Since it’s an irregular verb, it can be a bit tricky.
So, we’ll talk about the verb ir today, and I’ll show you how to conjugate it too.
We’ll also look at other related words to “go” in Spanish, like “go to bed” or “go away” as well as other movement verbs.
So let’s get going!
Table of contents
“Go” in Spanish
“To go” in Spanish is ir.
Spanish groups infinitives by their endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Because the infinitive is ir, it belongs to the third, -ir, conjugation. Its actual forms are highly irregular, though, so regular -ir endings will not generate forms such as voy or vas.
This means it doesn’t follow the usual conjugation in Spanish but instead does its own thing. And ir can be quite tricky for beginners.
The good part, though, is you’ll get lots of practice with this verb because it’s so commonly used!
So let’s look at how to conjugate it.
How to Conjugate Ir in Spanish
For the present indicative, learn these six forms:
- I go: yo voy
- You go: tú vas
- She/he/you (formal) goes: ella/él/usted va
- We go: nosotros vamos
- You (plural, Spain) go: vosotros vais
- You (plural, Latin America)/They go: ustedes/ellas/ellos van
The present forms look unusual because they do not come from one regular stem. A useful memory split is voy on its own, then vas, va, vamos, vais, van. Notice that vais has no written accent.
How to Remember the Present Forms of Ir
Treat those six present forms as a small set to recall, not as an -ar rule you can apply to other verbs. Say them in two rhythms: voy; then vas, va, vamos, vais, van.
Ir changes shape in other common tenses too: iba in the imperfect, fui in the preterite, and vaya in the present subjunctive. The simple future is friendlier because it keeps the infinitive as its base: iré, irás, irá, iremos, iréis, irán.
The pattern after ir depends on what follows. For movement to a destination, use a conjugated form of ir + a + a place:
Voy a la tienda.
“I’m going to the store.”
When a is followed by an infinitive, the same surface pattern works as a future or intention construction: ir a + infinitive. It is common for plans and things expected to happen, not only events happening “soon”:
Mañana voy a estudiar para el examen.
“Tomorrow, I’m going to study for the test.”
For “I have to go”, combine the obligation pattern tener que with the pronominal verb irse (“to leave”):
Me tengo que ir ahora.
“I have to go now.”
If you want to learn more Spanish verb conjugations, check out our other articles:
- Spanish Verb Conjugations: How to Master the 3 Most Important Verb Tenses
- How to Use Reflexive Verbs in Spanish
- Future Tense in Spanish: An Easy Guide
“Let’s Go” in Spanish
You’re probably familiar with this one! “Let’s go” in Spanish is “¡Vamos!” You can also use vamos to say “come on.”
¡Vamos! is the present form for “we go”, but it also has a special everyday use as “let’s go” or “come on”.
¡Vámonos! comes from irse (“to leave”). It often puts more emphasis on leaving the current place, while ¡Vamos! can introduce a destination or simply encourage someone. In real conversation, the two can overlap.
Vayamos is the present-subjunctive form. It is grammatically possible as an affirmative suggestion, but vamos is usually the everyday choice. You do need the subjunctive in a negative command: No vayamos todavía (“Let’s not go yet”). Vayámonos also exists; it is not simply a more formal version of vámonos.
Some related expressions:
- “Let’s go home” – Vamos a casa
- “Hurry up” – Date prisa
- “Move it!” – ¡Muévete!
- “Come on!” or “Go on!” (especially Mexico) – ¡Ándale!
- “Let’s go together” – Vamos juntas/juntos
- “Let’s go out” – Salgamos
How to Say “Go Away” in Spanish
You can command someone to leave by saying “¡Vete!”
The pronominal verb irse means “to go away” or “to leave”. The other commands below vary in meaning, region, and force:
- “Leave me alone!” – ¡Déjame en paz!
- “Go away” or “Disappear!” (informal, especially Mexico) – ¡Bórrate!
- “Beat it!” or “Get out of here!” (strong) – ¡Lárgate!
- “Get away!” or “Move back!” – ¡Aléjate!
- “Move!” or “Get out of the way!” – ¡Quítate!
“Go to Sleep” in Spanish
For “to sleep”, Spanish uses dormir. To tell one person informally “Go to sleep”, say Vete a dormir. To say that you are going to sleep, use:
Me voy a dormir.
“I’m going to sleep.”
As for “to go to bed” in Spanish, this one is a new verb: acostarse.
Acostarse means “to go to bed” or “to lie down”. For example:
Me acuesto.
“I go to bed.”
Me voy a acostar en la cama.
“I’m going to lie down in bed.”
Me voy a la cama ahora.
“I’m going to bed now.”
“How is Your Day Going” in Spanish?
We also use “go” often in English when asking how someone is doing, like “How is your day going?” or “How’s it going?”
So to ask “how is your day going” in Spanish, you would say ¿Cómo va tu día? or ¿Cómo llevas el día? You might also hear the phrase ¿Qué tal tu día?, which doesn’t use the verb ir but instead uses the question phrase qué tal.
For “how is it going” in Spanish, there are many similar ways to ask this, but only some actually use “go”. Here are some:
- “How is everything?” – ¿Cómo va todo?
- “How are you?” or “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?” – ¿Qué tal?
- “How are you?” – ¿Cómo estás?
- “How’s it going?” – ¿Cómo te va? or ¿Cómo va?
In English, we often ask “How’s it going?” to mean “How are you?” But if you’re asking about something, like a project, then you could say something like:
¿Cómo va tu proyecto?
“How’s your project going?”
¿Cómo va todo por allá?
“How’s it going over there?”
“Where Are You Going?” in Spanish
Spanish uses both dónde and adónde for “where” with a verb of movement. If you need a refresher on Spanish question words, start with this guide.
For informal singular “Where are you going?”, both ¿Dónde vas? and ¿Adónde vas? are accepted. The formal singular versions are ¿Dónde va? and ¿Adónde va?.
For “Where are we going?”, change the verb to vamos: ¿Adónde vamos? You may also see it written as ¿A dónde vamos?.
To ask “Where did you go?”, use the preterite: ¿Adónde fuiste?
Other Spanish Movement Verbs to Know
Now that you’ve learned a lot of ways to use “go” in Spanish, let’s cover some other common movement verbs!
- Run: correr
- Fly: volar
- Approach: acercarse
- Fall: caer
- Arrive: llegar
- Bring: traer
- Throw: lanzar
- Enter, go in: entrar
- Get out or leave: salir or irse
- Go down or get off: bajar or bajarse
- Get up: levantarse
- Climb: escalar
- Ride a bike or horse: montar en bicicleta or montar a caballo
- Move forward: avanzar
- Move something: mover
- Roll: rodar
- Come: venir
- Dodge: esquivar
- Push: empujar
- Jump: saltar
- Crawl: gatear or arrastrarse
- Escape: escapar
- Lie down: tumbarse
- Pick up: recoger
- Cross: cruzar
- Exercise: hacer ejercicio or ejercitarse
- Return: volver or regresar
- Walk: caminar
- Swim: nadar
- Drive: conducir or manejar
- Follow: seguir
Try learning some of these in useful contrasts. For instance, pair caminar (“walk”) with correr (“run”), or llegar (“arrive”) with salir (“leave”). The contrast gives each word a context instead of leaving it in a long isolated list.
Now it’s your turn. Try using these new words in sentences, and play around with conjugating them. Get used to them, both in writing and speaking.
Start with the words that are most relevant to you, especially ones you expect to use this week. A flashcard app can help with review; if you use Anki, Anki Power Up walks you through a practical setup for language cards.
Time to Go to Your Next Spanish Lesson!
Let’s wrap things up! Let’s refresh what we just learned:
Ir means “to go”. Its present indicative forms are:
- I go: yo voy
- You go: tú vas
- She/he/you (formal) goes: ella/él/usted va
- We go: nosotros vamos
- You (plural, Spain) go: vosotros vais
- You (plural, Latin America)/They go: ustedes/ellas/ellos van
For movement, use ir + a + a destination:
Voy a la tienda.
“I’m going to the store.”
And we learned phrases like:
- “Let’s go” – Vamos
- “Go away” – Vete
- “Go to sleep” – Vete a dormir
- “Go to bed” – Acostarse
- “How’s your day going?” – ¿Cómo va tu día?
- “Where are you going?” – ¿Adónde vas?
… And a lot more!
So now it’s time to move on to your next Spanish lesson. And I have some recommendations for you:
If you want to hear forms of ir in short dialogues, see our SpanishPod101 review to decide whether its lesson library fits your study style.
And if your next step is using these phrases with real people, the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp gives you a 90-day speaking plan with personalised coaching.
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