Irse: Translation & Conjugation
Yolanda holds a CELTA Cambridge, a Juris Doctorate, and a Master of Public Administration. She is a published author of fiction in Spanish.
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”Irse” is a Spanish verb that often causes confusion, as it means the same as ”ir”: ‘to go’. However, ”irse” has some very specific implications, which you will learn in this lesson through a fun story.
Ir vs. Irse
When you go to a specific place, you usually tell whoever needs to know. You tell them not only that you are going, but also the location itself. For this case, you use the verb ir (pronounced: eer), which means ‘to go’. This is exactly what Diana does as she goes to the pharmacy and tells her husband:
Voy a la farmacia. (I go to the pharmacy.)
Other times, you just announce you are leaving. You don’t say where to because it’s unnecessary. In this case, you use the verb irse (EER-seh). Now, we are at a time when Diana is getting ready to go to work. This is part of her daily routine, and her husband, Santiago, knows she will leave shortly to go to work. She says:
Me voy. (I am leaving.)
In short, this shows us that ir means simply ‘to go’ from one place to another whereas irse means ‘to leave’ in the sense of ‘to go away’ from a place.
As you can see, when Diana says me voy, she uses two components:
A reflexive pronoun, which is me in the example.
The verb ir conjugated, which is voy in the example.
The two components show us that irse is a reflexive verb (a verb in which the action remains solely with the person who performs it). Now, let’s go ahead and learn how to conjugate irse in the present tense.
Present Tense of Irse
Irse (EER-seh) – ‘to leave’
Subject Pronoun Irse Conjugation Pronunciation Translation
yo me voy meh boy I leave
tú te vas teh bahs you (singular/informal) leave
él/ella
usted se va seh bah he/she leaves – you (singular/formal) leave
nosotros
nosotras nos vamos nohs BAH-mohs we leave
vosotros
vosotras os vais ohs BAH-ees you (plural/informal) leave
ellos/ellas
ustedes se van seh bahn they/you (plural/formal) leave
In case you are wondering, the pronunciation column shows the sound of v as b because this is how most Spanish speakers sound. In the days of old Spanish, the v sound was more similar to the English v, which you still may hear in some parts of Spain. Now, let’s get back to Diana and Santiago to see what happens.
Practical Example
Diana and Santiago tell each other daily Me voy when it is their turn to go out to work.
However, Santiago recently got the letter he has been waiting for as an artist. He applied for a six month scholarship in Figueras (Spain), where he has been accepted as an artist-in-residency. Diana fully supports him and now they announce they news to the family:
Dentro de dos meses, nos vamos del país. (In two months, we are leaving the country.)
The family is shocked, but happy for Santiago, whose mother asks:
¿Cuándo se van exactamente? (When are you leaving exactly?)
Note: Clearly, this family is in Latin America because they use ustedes for the plural you. In Spain, people only use ustedes for formal interactions with a group. Spaniards widely use vosotros with family and friends.
Diana says:
El tres de julio. Santiago se va primero y yo me voy una semana después. (On July 3rd. Santiago leaves first and I leave a week after.)
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