anar a + Infinitive

Going to Act and Immediate Intention

Level 2

Anar a + infinitive is not a general future tense; use it for going to act or limited immediate intention.

How It Works

Vaig a comprar pa normally describes going somewhere to buy bread. Certain agentive, immediately intended acts also allow the construction, as in us vaig a dir una cosa. This does not license replacing every English going to with anar a.

For an ordinary future plan without movement, use a future form or a suitably contextualized present: demà estudiaré or demà estudio a casa. For imminent non-agentive events, use estar a punt de: està a punt de ploure. Mere imminence alone does not make va a ploure the recommended general model.

In a past setting, anava a + infinitive can describe an action that was about to happen, often interrupted. Keep it distinct from vaig comprar, which is completed past and has no a.

Examples (3)

  1. Vaig a la fleca a comprar pa.

    I am going to the bakery to buy bread.

  2. Us vaig a dir una cosa important.

    I am about to tell you something important.

  3. Demà estudiaré a casa.

    Tomorrow I will study at home.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

anar a + InfinitiveLevel 2Going to Act and Immediate Intention

Learn This First

Distinguish lexical anar from the completed-past auxiliary.

Words in This Pattern