The structure ir + a + infinitive and the verbs ser, poner, traer in Spanish

Carmiña

— Aquí tiene usted el café. Aquí el azúcar, aquí la leche.

— ¡Ay señorito! ¡Qué cosas! Y dice usted que no es viajante ...

Vocablos

Notes & Explanations

Expressions

Pronunciation rules

Sinvergüenza [simberˈgwenθa]. The consonant combination nv is pronounced as [mb].

In the combination güe, the vowel u is read, therefore we pronounce it [gwe]. As previously mentioned (see pronunciation lesson), u is pronounced only in cases when there are two dots (diaeresis/umlaut) over it; if there are no dots over the u, then in combinations like gue etc., the vowel u is not pronounced.

Grammar points

1. The verb structure ir + a + infinitive

In Spanish, in order to express an action that is going to happen in the near future, there is a special verb structure that is formed with the verb ir in the present tense, the preposition a and the infinitive of the conjugated verb.

The verb ir in this structure essentially loses its lexical meaning and is used as an auxiliary verb.

The preposition a, which the verb ir always requires and which usually indicates the direction of movement (translated as to), is untranslatable in this structure.

ir a + infinitive = to be going to do something (in the near future)

2. The second (II) group of deviating conjugation of irregular verbs

The verb sonar — to sound belongs to the II group of deviating verbs.

When conjugating the verbs of this group, as with the verbs of the I group, there is a deviation from the regular conjugation.

In the verbs of the II group, the stem vowel o changes to the diphthong ue. Compare with the verbs of the I group (see lesson 9), for example: comenzar — the vowel e changes to ie.

Presente
Present tense

Imperativo
Imperative mood

3. Individual conjugation of the irregular verbs traer, poner, ser

The verbs traer to bring, poner to put, ser to be conjugate in the following way:

Presente
Present tense

Imperativo
Imperative mood

Note:

As was said earlier (lesson 4), you shouldn’t confuse the verb ser with the verb estar. Remember the difference in their usage.

The verb ser is used to talk about permanent or lasting attributes of an object or person, for example:

The verb estar is used to indicate temporary states, the impermanent quality of an object or person (mainly to determine a temporary mental or physical state), for example:

The verb estar is also used to indicate the location of a given object or person, for example:

Exercises

I. Translate into English:

José oye un golpe en la puerta, pero no se levanta. Entra Juana y ve a José en la cama. Juana pregunta: — ¿Qué te pasa? ¿Estás enfermo? — No estoy enfermo. Me gusta estar en la cama. ¿No es domingo? — Voy a comprar periódicos y pan para (for) el desayuno — dice Juana. — ¿Vamos al cine hoy? — pregunta José. — No vamos al cine, vamos a casa de la abuela. — ¿Por qué? — pregunta José. — Porque la abuela está enferma. — ¿Dónde está Carmiña? — Carmiña prepara el desayuno. — ¿Vas a tomar el desayuno en la cama? — No, ya me levanto.

II. Translate into Spanish:

We get up and call Carmiña, but she doesn’t hear. She is very busy. She writes a letter to her boyfriend. Carmiña’s boyfriend works at the factory in Madrid. Carmiña goes to the seamstress’s house because she is going to get married on Sunday. Carmiña enters the room and sees Jose in bed, she turns red and looks at the floor. Carmiña is a charming girl, but she doesn’t like (no le gustan) travelling salesmen. She says that they are scoundrels.