Like the verb ser, the conjugation of ir in the present tense is irregular:

ir (to go)

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

A sign in support of the Osasuna soccer team from Pamplona, Navarre. Because they originally wore red jerseys, they got the nickname “Los Rojillos.”

The verb ir is used to express destinations and will need a preposition to follow it.  Add the preposition a after ir to indicate your destination (where you’re going to).

• No voy a la fiesta esta noche porque hay un examen mañana. (I’m not going to the party tonight, because there’s a test tomorrow.)
• Ellos van al gimnasio todos los días. (They go to the gym every day.)

The story goes (though it’s probably not true) that this Chevy model didn’t sell well in Mexico. Can you imagine why? (Hint: How do you say in Spanish “The car doesn’t go”?)

Contracciones

There are only two contractions in the whole Spanish language, and they’re frequently used with ir and other verbs of motion.

A + el = al (to the)
De + el = del (from the)

Be careful, the prepositions a and de only contract with the masculine singular definite article; if you need the feminine or plural form of “the”, it will remain a separate word.

• Vamos al parque con el perro. (We go to the park with the dog.)
• Vamos a los negocios locales. (We go to the local businesses.)
• Los científicos llegan del Instituto de Salud Pública. (The scientists come from the Institute of Public Health.)
• Los maestros llegan de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. (The teachers come from the Complutense University of Madrid.)