Apr
28
To IR is human
Ir is one of the first verbs a person learns when they start studying Spanish. One thing that may not be immediately clear to English speakers is the difference between IR and IRSE. Doesn’t it all just mean “go”? Yes, but with some differences.
Use ir when you simply mean “to go.” Voy al mercado. (I’m going to the market.)
Use irse when you mean to leave, but in the sense of “to go away.” Me voy a Barcelona mañana. (I’m leaving for Barcelona tomorrow. I’m headed to Barcelona tomorrow.)
It’s for this reason why you’ll hear native Spanish speakers say “me voy” not “voy” when they’re leaving a place.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Nice post. This was never adequately explained in any of my Spanish classes. It really is that simple.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Nice post and very usefull!
Many people doesn´t seem to know this difference and use IR all the time, even when they are actually leaving.
There are a lot of such ´simple´ things in Spanish which many people don´t seem to know.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information!
May 1st, 2008 at 9:52 pm
You’re welcome. Yes, I personally always try to follow the KISS method of learning Spanish. (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
June 4th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Hola,
How can I start learning decent spanish. I am beginner to spanish language.
Gracious
Amit Jain