Informal future For Intermediate learners

What is Informal Future?

The Spanish informal future or periphrastic future (futuro perifrástico) expresses what is going to happen or what someone is going to do, similar to the English "be going to + verb."

Structure

The informal future is formed using the present conjugation of the verb "ir," followed by the preposition "a" and the infinitive form of the main verb which is invariable for all persons and numbers:

ir (present) + a + infinitive

Conjugation of "Ir"

The verb "Ir" is irregular in the present tense and has a special form that does not follow the regular pattern:

yo	voy
tú	vas
él / ella / usted	va
nosotros/as	vamos
vosotros/as	vais
ellos / ellas / ustedes	van

Here are some examples:

Example

Voy a estudiar.

I'm going to study.

Vas a comer.

You're going to eat.

Vamos a viajar.

We're going to travel.

Negation

To negate verbs used in the form of informal future, the negative marker "no" is added before the verb "ir" or the object pronoun, if it is used before the conjugated "ir". For example:

Example

Voy a leerlo. → No voy a leerlo.

When the object pronoun is attached to the infinitive, the negative marker comes immediately before conjugated "ir".

Lo voy a ver esta noche. → No lo voy a ver esta noche.

I'm going to watch it tonight. → I'm not going to watch it tonight.

Uses

The informal future form is used to talk about:

Near or planned future:

Example

Voy a llamar a mi madre.

I'm going to call my mother.

Vamos a salir esta noche.

We're going to go out tonight.

Intentions or decisions:

Example

Voy a estudiar medicina.

I'm going to study medicine.

¿Qué vas a hacer mañana?

What are you going to do tomorrow?

Imminent events:

Example

Va a llover.

It's going to rain.

El tren va a salir en cinco minutos.

The train is going to leave in five minutes.

Warnings or threats (colloquial):

Example

Te vas a caer.

You're going to fall.

Me vas a oír.

You're going to hear from me.

Future Simple vs. Future Informal

Future informal, as the name suggests, is mainly used in speech and everyday language use, while future simple is more formal. Additionally, the "ir + a + infinitive" structure suggests imminence or certainty of an event while the future simple is mainly predictive.

Example

Voy a ver a mis amigos esta tarde.

I'm going to see my friends this afternoon.

This sentence suggests a planned and fixed decision.

Veré a mis amigos esta tarde.

I will see my friends this afternoon.

This sentence suggests a possibility or prediction.