Spanish
Grade 3
15 min
El verbo 'ir': ¿Adónde vas de compras? (The verb 'ir': Where are you going shopping?)
Introduce the irregular verb 'ir' and use it to talk about going shopping.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Correctly use the five present-tense forms of the verb 'ir' (voy, vas, va, vamos, van).
Ask where someone is going using the question '¿Adónde vas/va/van?'.
Answer questions about where they and others are going using the structure 'ir + a + place'.
Identify and use at least four vocabulary words for places to go shopping (e.g., la tienda, el supermercado).
Correctly use the contraction 'al' when 'a' is followed by 'el'.
Form simple sentences describing shopping trips, such as 'Yo voy a la panadería'.
Imagine you want to buy fresh bread for a sandwich! 🥪 Where do you need to go? Let's learn how to say it in Spanish!
Today, we will learn the super important verb 'ir', wh...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
irThe verb that means 'to go'. It's a special, irregular verb, so its forms look very different from the verb itself.Yo voy a la escuela. (I go to the school.)
AdóndeA question word that means 'To where?'. We use it to ask about a destination.¿Adónde vas? (Where are you going?)
Conjugación (Conjugation)Changing a verb to match who is doing the action. For 'ir', we change it to 'voy', 'vas', 'va', 'vamos', or 'van'.For 'tú' (you), the verb 'ir' becomes 'vas'.
La tiendaA general word for 'the store' or 'the shop'.Voy a la tienda para comprar leche. (I'm going to the store to buy milk.)
El supermercadoThe place you go to buy lots of...
3
Grammar Rules & Patterns
Conjugation of 'ir' (Present Tense)
yo -> voy | tú -> vas | él/ella/usted -> va | nosotros/nosotras -> vamos | ellos/ellas/ustedes -> van
The verb 'ir' is irregular. This means it doesn't follow the normal -AR verb pattern. You must memorize these special forms to say who is going.
Formula for Going Somewhere
Subject + form of 'ir' + a + the place
To say that someone is going to a specific place, you always need the little word 'a' after the verb 'ir'. It acts like the word 'to' in English.
The Contraction 'al'
a + el = al
If you are going to a masculine place that starts with 'el' (like 'el supermercado'), the words 'a' and 'el' combine t...
4 more steps in this tutorial
Sign up free to access the complete tutorial with worked examples and practice.
Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
Papá necesita comprar clavos y un martillo para un proyecto. Tú necesitas comprar un libro para la escuela. Si van de compras juntos, ¿adónde van?
A.Van a la carnicería y luego a la panadería.
B.Van a la juguetería y luego al supermercado.
C.Van a la ferretería y luego a la librería.
D.Van a la zapatería y luego a la frutería.
Challenging
Lee el diálogo:
Marisol: "¡Hola, Luis! ¿Adónde vas?"
Luis: "Hola, Marisol. Mi perro necesita comida y un juguete nuevo."
¿Qué dice Luis después?
A.Voy a la farmacia.
B.Voy a la tienda de mascotas.
C.Ellos van al parque.
D.Tú vas a comprar comida.
Challenging
¿Qué oración tiene un error de lógica?
A.Mi hermana y yo vamos al cine a ver una película.
B.Tú vas a la biblioteca para leer un libro en silencio.
C.Mis padres van al restaurante a cenar.
D.Usted va a la zapatería para comprar leche y pan.
Want to practice and check your answers?
Sign up to access all questions with instant feedback, explanations, and progress tracking.
Start Practicing Free