Instead of indicating an action in the future,
Ir a + infinitive
can be used to express "obviousness" when it is used with cómo, dónde, quién or qué, generally in an interrogative or an exclamatory sentence.
This construction is often used in colloquial Spanish when someone makes a comment and we reply to express that what was just said is evident, absurd or simply obvious.
Let's see some examples:
A person says:
Espero que Marta no haya perdido el tren.
I hope Marta didn't miss her train.
A reaction to this could be:
A person says:
Me pregunto dónde estará Antonio.
I wonder where Antonio could be.
A reaction to this could be:
A person says:
¿Qué te pasa? Pareces tan serio...
What's wrong? You look so serious...
A reaction to this could be:
A person says:
Nadie sabía lo del embarazo de Belén.
Nobody knew about Belén's pregnancy.
A reaction to this could be:
Using ir in either El Presente or El Pretérito Imperfecto (va a ..., iba a ...) is not related to whether the idea is something to do with the present, the past or the future.
These structures are also sometimes used in a negative construction. For example, if someone makes this statement:
El colegio está apoyando mucho a los estudiantes con dificultades de aprendizaje.
The school is fully supporting students with learning difficulties.
Someone may react by indicating that they are stating the obvious and say:
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Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics
Examples and resources
¡Qué iba a pasar! Nada, no pasa nada.Why should there be anything wrong? [Lit: What is going to happen?] There is nothing wrong at all.
¿Dónde va a estar? Pues, en casa de su novia como siempre.Where is he going to be? Obviously at his girlfriend's house as usual.
