verb

ir

Moverse de un lugar a otro.

Definition & meaning

Ir is an irregular Spanish verb whose main meaning is “to go” or “to travel” from one place to another.

Movement:
Voy al trabajo. — “I’m going to work.”
Going somewhere for a purpose:
Vamos a estudiar. — “We are going to study.”
Leaving or departing, especially in its pronominal form irse :
Me voy ahora. — “I’m leaving now.”
Progressing or functioning:
¿Cómo te va? — “How are things going?”
El coche va bien. — “The car is running well.”
Near future: ir a + infinitive expresses “to be going to”:
Voy a comer. — “I’m going to eat.”

Grammar & Word origin

Ir is an irregular, intransitive verb. Its present-tense forms are highly irregular:

yo voy — I go
tú vas — you go
él/ella va — he/she goes
nosotros vamos — we go
vosotros vais — you go
ellos van — they go

Its past and future forms also use different stems, such as fui “I went” and iré “I will go.”

The verb comes from the Latin īre, meaning “to go.” It has no productive modern prefix or suffix in Spanish. The related pronominal form irse means “to leave” or “to go away,” emphasizing departure.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

andar — “to walk” or “to move around.” It often emphasizes walking or general movement rather than simply going to a destination.
marchar — “to march,” “to depart,” or “to leave.” It is more formal or deliberate than ir.
dirigirse — “to head toward” or “to make one’s way to.” It emphasizes the destination or direction.
acudir — “to go to” or “to attend,” usually in response to a need, invitation, or event.

Antonyms

venir — “to come.” It describes movement toward the speaker or a reference point, contrasting with ir, which describes movement away from it.
quedarse — “to stay” or “to remain,” expressing the opposite of leaving or going somewhere.
pararse — “to stop” or “to come to a halt,” contrasting with movement.