Mañana voy a ir al cine: the Near Future in Spanish
s we saw in the article about the simple future, another way to introduce future actions in Spanish is the futuro próximo, also called the futuro perifrástico. For this future form we use the verb "ir" (to go), the preposition "a" and a verb in the infinitive. In this article we will see how to use this future form, some grammatical particularities and I will try to explain the difference between the near future and the simple future. I say I will try because, from my point of view, these differences, in the real world, depend more on the variety of Spanish in question and even on the linguistic register within each variety than on the rules themselves. Let's go!
Grammatical structure.
The grammatical structure of this future form is a verbal periphrasis. Here you can read more about what a periphrasis is. To explain it simply, a periphrasis is a group of words that, complementing each other, convey a single meaning. In this case the verbal periphrasis we use is:
conjugated ir + a + verb in infinitive
Mañana voy a cocinar paella (Tomorrow I’m going to cook paella).
Uses.
Immediate future: in this case it is used to introduce actions that are going to happen immediately and completely certainly.
Ya voy a salir de casa (I’m about to leave the house).
El autobús va a llegar en dos minutos (The bus is going to arrive in two minutes).
La película va a empezar (The movie is going to start).
Intentions and plans: when we have something planned that we know is going to happen, or when we have intentions to do something and whether we do it or not depends entirely on our will, we can use this future form.
Mañana voy a estudiar para el examen (Tomorrow I’m going to study for the exam).
¿Qué vas a hacer este fin de semana? (What are you going to do this weekend?)
Mis padres van a viajar a México el próximo mes (My parents are going to travel to Mexico next month).
Predictions based on present evidence: this future form is also used to introduce actions that we know are going to happen based on something we are seeing.
Mira esas nubes negras, va a llover (Look at those black clouds, it’s going to rain).
El niño está muy cansado, se va a dormir pronto (The child is very tired, he’s going to sleep soon).
El equipo está jugando muy bien, va a ganar el partido (The team is playing very well, they’re going to win the game).
Position of reflexive pronouns.
When we use reflexive verbs with the ir + a + infinitive structure, we have two possible positions to place the reflexive pronoun:
Option 1: Before the conjugated verb ir:
Me voy a levantar temprano mañana (I’m going to get up early tomorrow).
Te vas a divertir mucho en la fiesta (You’re going to have a lot of fun at the party).
Se va a acostar tarde esta noche (He/she is going to go to bed late tonight).
Nos vamos a encontrar en el café (We’re going to meet at the café).
Option 2: After the infinitive (enclitic):
Voy a levantarme temprano mañana (I’m going to get up early tomorrow).
Vas a divertirte mucho en la fiesta (You’re going to have a lot of fun at the party).
Va a acostarse tarde esta noche (He/she is going to go to bed late tonight).
Vamos a encontrarnos en el café (We’re going to meet at the café).
Both options are valid and have the same meaning. There are no subjective charges or any other type of difference, they are simply two ways of saying the same thing that grammar allows. In fact, if you ask a native Spanish speaker the difference between both constructions, or when they use one or the other, they will simply tell you that they are the same thing. Here you can read more about reflexive verbs in Spanish.
Differences with the simple future.
Although both the near future and the simple future express future actions, there are important differences:
Near future (ir + a + infinitive): More informal, expresses definite plans or near future:
Voy a comprar pan (I’m going to buy bread) (definite plan).
Simple future: More formal, expresses general predictions or promises:
Compraré pan (I will buy bread) (less specific in time).
Detailed contrast between both structures.
The near future is preferred when we talk about concrete plans, imminent actions or when there is clear evidence that something is going to happen. For example: Mira el cielo, va a llover (Look at the sky, it’s going to rain) (there is visual evidence). In contrast, the simple future is used more to make general predictions, express probability or talk about events more distant in time: Mañana lloverá en algunas regiones (Tomorrow it will rain in some regions) (general meteorological prediction). In addition, the simple future has a more formal nuance and is frequently used in written texts, while the near future dominates in everyday conversation. A native speaker would say Voy a ir al médico mañana (I’m going to go to the doctor tomorrow) (definite personal plan) but El próximo siglo será muy diferente (The next century will be very different) (distant and general prediction). Having said this, I repeat something I already said. The use of the simple future or the near future depends on the variety of the language, the linguistic register, etc. My advice is that you learn both and know that depending on the variety of Spanish you face, the usage will be different. Regardless of this, whichever one you use, you will be understood.
Like the simple future, the near future can be used with an imperative meaning: both hoy te acostarás temprano (you will go to bed early today) and hoy te vas a acostar temprano (you’re going to go to bed early today) have the same meaning and their use will depend on the variety of the language. What the near future is not used for, unlike the simple future, is to make polite requests. On one hand, because if we use a modal verb there is a semantic difference: ¿podrás ayudarme con esto? (will you be able to help me with this?) is a polite request for help, but ¿vas a poder ayudarme con esto? (are you going to be able to help me with this?), from a semantic point of view, is a question about the possibility or not of future help, not a request.
The case of the verb ir.
In the particular case of the verb ir (to go), in spoken language, it is common to omit it and, in this way, not use the periphrasis. That is, instead of mañana voy a ir al cine (tomorrow I’m going to go to the movies) it is valid to say mañana voy al cine (tomorrow I’m going to the movies). Both sentences are equivalent and there is no type of subjective difference.
We have reached the end. Here I leave you exercises to practice this topic, which is very important in the acquisition of the Spanish language due to its frequency of use. Thank you for reading and, if you have questions, write to me.
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