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El futuro próximo.

The near future is the easiest "future" you'll ever learn in Spanish. It's a three-part formula — present tense of ir + a + infinitive — and it covers "I'm going to do X" for any timeframe from tonight to next year. Below: when to use it, the formula, time markers, model sentences, common mistakes, and a 60-second drill.

When to use it

"Going to" — planned and certain

Use the near future for things you've decided to do — plans, intentions, what's coming up. Maps perfectly onto English "I'm going to…". It's the most natural way to talk about the future in everyday Spanish and accounts for a huge chunk of GCSE marks.

The simple future tense ( hablaré, tendré… ) tends to feel more formal or more distant in time — for "I will" rather than "I'm going to." For GCSE writing, mixing in some near future is one of the easiest ways to show tense range without needing irregular stems.

Model sentence

Este verano voy a viajar a España.

This summer I'm going to travel to Spain.

How to form it

The three-part formula

Formula

ir (present) + a + infinitive

All you need is the present tense of ir, the little word a, and the infinitive (the dictionary form ending in -ar / -er / -ir).

ir (present)

to go

yovoy a hablar
túvas a hablar
él / ellava a hablar
nosotrosvamos a hablar
vosotrosvais a hablar
ellosvan a hablar

The infinitive never changes — only ir conjugates. Swap hablar for any other verb (comer, estudiar, viajar, salir…) and you've conjugated dozens of "going-to" sentences with just one rule.

Signal words

Time markers — words that signal the near future

Anything that points forward, particularly to the next minute, day, week or year, can trigger the near future.

hoytoday
esta tardethis afternoon
esta nochetonight
mañanatomorrow
pasado mañanathe day after tomorrow
este fin de semanathis weekend
la semana que vienenext week
el mes que vienenext month
este veranothis summer
en las vacacionesin the holidays
prontosoon
dentro de un ratoin a little while

Model sentences

In real GCSE topics

Holidays Este verano voy a viajar a España con mi familia. This summer I'm going to travel to Spain with my family.
School Mañana voy a estudiar para el examen de matemáticas. Tomorrow I'm going to study for the maths exam.
Free time Este fin de semana vamos a jugar al fútbol en el parque. This weekend we're going to play football in the park.
Plans Esta tarde voy a ver una película con mis amigos. This afternoon I'm going to watch a film with my friends.
Family Mi hermana va a empezar la universidad el año que viene. My sister is going to start university next year.
Daily life Después de cenar voy a hacer mis deberes. After dinner I'm going to do my homework.

Where pupils slip up

Common mistakes

Don't forget the "a"

The little word a is non-negotiable. Voy estudiar → Voy a estudiar.

Conjugate ir, not the infinitive

The verb at the end stays in its dictionary form. Voy a estudio → Voy a estudiar.

Yo is "voy", not "va"

ir is irregular in the present. yo voy, tú vas, él/ella va, nosotros vamos, ellos van.

Don't add a second "to"

The Spanish infinitive already means "to do X". Voy a a estudiar → Voy a estudiar.

Going somewhere vs going to do

If you actually mean "I'm going to the park", you only need ir + a (no infinitive): Voy al parque. The near-future formula needs an infinitive.

Mixing tenses

You can use the near future inside a longer sentence with another tense. Ayer estudié, pero mañana voy a descansar. Don't force everything into the same tense.

Drill · 60-second sprint

Build the near future

Near Future Sprint

You have 60 seconds. A pronoun + infinitive appears — pick the correct near-future form from four options. Score one point for each right answer, no penalty for wrong. Streak resets on a miss.

Best ever: 0

⏱ 60s Aciertos 0 🔥 Racha 0

"…going to comer"

yo—

¡Tiempo!

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