The Present Tense of ir (to go) and hacer (to do; to make) (El tiempo presente de los verbos ir y hacer)

The verb ir = to go voy vamos vas vais va van Its conjugation The verb ir is irregular not only in its yo form, but in all other forms as well. Essentially, ir is conjugated like a regular -ar verb in all its forms except yo.

The verb ir = to go Voy a la librería para comprar libros. Since we generally go to a place, the verb ir is almost always used with the preposition a. Voy a la librería para comprar libros. Vas al cine con tus amigos, ¿no? (a + el = al) Mario va a la biblioteca a estudiar. Occasionally, ir is used in isolation, as when answering a knock at the door: ¡Voy! I’m coming!

The verb ir = to go Similarly, when we ask where someone is going, we use the question word ¿adónde? (to where?) rather than ¿dónde? (where?) The useful construction ir a + infinitive is used in Spanish to express a future action, that is, what someone is going to do. I’m going to do my homework in the library. Hi, Susana! Where are you going?

ir a + infinitive Vamos a estudiar los verbos. It is important to remember that, with this construction, we conjugate only the verb ir . . . then add a . . . and then an infinitive that expresses what we are going to do. Vamos a estudiar los verbos. We’re going to study . . . We never conjugate both verbs!

The verb hacer = to do; to make Its conjugation hago hacemos haces hacéis hace hacen The verb hacer is irregular only in its yo form.

The verb hacer = to do; to make Yo hago mi tarea todos los días. I do my homework every day. Me gusta cuando mamá hace tacos. I like it when mom makes tacos. ¿Qué haces los fines de semana? What do you do on weekends?

The verb hacer = to do; to make When you are asked a question using hacer, you usually respond with another verb . . . ¿Qué hacen los estudiantes ahora? What are the students doing now? Comen en la cafetería. They’re eating in the cafeteria. . . . unless, of course, your response involves making or doing. ¿Qué hacen los estudiantes ahora? What are the students doing now? Hacen la tarea. They’re doing the homework.

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