Answers
Sep 12, 2012 - 11:43 AM
By what I've picked up so far (disk2, session29) there are certain words that have necessary trailing words. Like 'voy a' and 'ir a' Voy and Ir always seem to have a trailing 'a' if you are saying 'going to' and 'to go to'. It works the same with 'Va a' and 'Van a'. It seems that even with the past tense forms, and I'm assuming all tense forms, of Ir this is the case. Tener works the same general way with 'Tengo que'. I'm assuming this is just some grammar thing you need to remember.
Sep 14, 2012 - 06:41 PM
You are right. It says exactly "going to go to buy". I asked a very similar question to friend that was raised bilingual. From being completely fluent in two languages she gave me a wonderful insight to me learning Spanish. She said try not to worry so much about how it translates directly. You’re going do that because you speak English, but word for word translations get clunky because every language has its own unique logic and structure. She told me about people asking for translations and how much she has to say, “Well, it kinda means…” because the word for word can be a pain. So, I started focusing on figuring out the logic of the language. Just like how it’s “un café pequeño” even though in English you’re saying “a coffee small”. So, and I don’t mean this to be flippant, in the end it’s “voy a ir a comprar” just because it is.
Sep 15, 2012 - 05:02 AM
From a native spanish speaker point of view, this is absolutely as your friend told to you
Dec 09, 2012 - 06:59 AM
It does mean I'm going to go to buy, otherwise it would be voy a comprar - I'm going to buy.
Dec 09, 2012 - 07:43 AM
FYI there is a similar discussion above, initiated by a similar question by Paolo S.
Dec 31, 2012 - 04:18 PM
It is my understanding that comprar translates to "to buy". So, why is there an "a" between "ir" and "comprar"? It seems like the sentence should read "I'm going to go to to buy." Oh well, I guess I'll accept this as-is and move on.
Dec 31, 2012 - 05:25 PM
I think it is like this:
Voy: I'm going
Voy a: "I'm going to". Voy a mi casa "I'm going to my house".
Ir: To go
Ir a: "To go to". "Ir a esa casa": "To go to that house"
Voy a ir a comprar: "I'm going to go to buy".
Voy a comprar: "I'm going to buy".
Ir a comprar: "To go to buy".
For engish speakers adding "To go to" after "I'm going to" seems superfluous. It's the same in French: "Je vais aller a la banque" vs "Je vais a la banque". Voy a ir a is an action you are planning to do in the near future (going to), "Voy a" is an action you are executing at this moment.
Voy: I'm going
Voy a: "I'm going to". Voy a mi casa "I'm going to my house".
Ir: To go
Ir a: "To go to". "Ir a esa casa": "To go to that house"
Voy a ir a comprar: "I'm going to go to buy".
Voy a comprar: "I'm going to buy".
Ir a comprar: "To go to buy".
For engish speakers adding "To go to" after "I'm going to" seems superfluous. It's the same in French: "Je vais aller a la banque" vs "Je vais a la banque". Voy a ir a is an action you are planning to do in the near future (going to), "Voy a" is an action you are executing at this moment.
Jan 01, 2013 - 12:16 PM
Simple answer. "Ir" is a verb that requires the preposition "a" with its use. Many Spanish verbs require specific prepositions (depender de, pensar en, etc.) It is best not to try to use logic because there are many idiomatic situations in the language.