Unregelmäßige Verben: ir und dar

Ir (to go) looks nothing like its infinitive: the present is built on a v- stem, voy, vas, va. Dar (to give) is irregular only in yo, doy, and otherwise behaves like a short -ar verb. They sit together here because their endings rhyme: learn one column and the other follows.

Vais and dais are one syllable, so they take no written accent, unlike habláis or coméis.

Ir a + place

"Go to" is ir a, and the a cannot be dropped. With el it contracts to al:

• Voy a la playa. - I'm going to the beach.
• Vamos al cine esta noche. - We're going to the cinema tonight.
• Van a casa. - They're going home. A casa takes no article, just as "home" takes no "the".
• ¿Adónde vas? - Where are you going?

Transport takes en: Voy en metro, en tren, en coche. On foot is the exception: Voy a pie or Voy andando.

¡Vamos! on its own is "Let's go!" or "Come on!", heard in every football stadium in Spain. Ir a followed by an infinitive (Voy a cenar, "I'm going to have dinner") is how Spanish talks about plans; it has its own page, "The near future: ir a + infinitive".

Dar in everyday phrases

Beyond "give" (Te doy mi número), dar builds many fixed expressions that English renders with other verbs:

• dar un paseo - go for a walk: Los domingos damos un paseo por el Retiro.
• dar las gracias - say thank you
• dar miedo - be scary: Las películas de terror me dan miedo.
• me da igual - I don't mind, it's all the same to me

Typical slips

Leaving out the a (*Voy la escuela), and confusing voy with estoy when English "I'm going" and "I'm at" both start with "I'm". If there is movement, it is ir.