Preposition "a" with infinitives

[bricks]

Hello friends.

I would like to as a very simple question. When using the preposition "a" before an infinitive to indicate the start of an action, can I only do this for the present tense, or can it work for past and future too?

"Voy a jugar contigo."

The above example is "I am going to play to you". "I am going" can be used for present and future in English so I am confused.

So would this work:

"Yo sere a jugar contigo."

Thanks

[Perikles]

When using the preposition "a" before an infinitive to indicate the start of an action, can I only do this for the present tense, or can it work for past and future too?

"Voy a jugar contigo."

The above example is "I am going to play to you". The above example is "I am going to play with you." "I am going" can be used for present and future in English so I am confused.

So would this work:

"Yo sere a jugar contigo."

ThanksNo, it wouldn't work. "I am going" in the present is a different construction to "I am going to" as a future. (I am going to town = I am doing it right now. I am going + infinitive = a future action) The expression ir a indicates something in the future, but works in all tenses. I'll leave it to a Spanish speaker for examples. :)

[chileno]

Hello friends.

I would like to as a very simple question. When using the preposition "a" before an infinitive to indicate the start of an action, can I only do this for the present tense, or can it work for past and future too?

"Voy a jugar contigo."

The above example is "I am going to play to you". "I am going" can be used for present and future in English so I am confused.

So would this work:

"Yo sere a jugar contigo."

Thanks

I am going to play to you - I will play with you
Yo voy a jugar contigo - Yo jugaré contigo

[Perikles]

This use of a + infinitive to express a future only works with the verb ir. There are other verbs which use a + infinitive:

comenzar a + infinitive to begin to
empezar a + infinitive to begin to
volver a + infinitive to do again

But the preposition a can mean all sorts of other things, and this expression ir a + infinitive is the only one to express a future action. :)

[bricks]

Perikles, do you actually speak Spanish? You always manage to confuse me further lol

[Perikles]

Perikles, do you actually speak Spanish? You always manage to confuse me further lolWell, it's all relative. I never know on which level somebody wants an explanation. :D Why the confusion? What I said above is perfectly correct, but it might not be answering your question. :confused:

[laepelba]

While we're talking about "a + infinitive", can someone answer the more general question about when to use that construction? For example, sometimes I write "conjugated verb + a + infinitive" and am corrected to remove the "a". Other times I write "conjugated verb + infinitive" and am corrected TO USE an "a" inbetween. I can never figure out when TO and when NOT TO use the "a" between a conjugated verb and an infinitive. :(

[chileno]

Perikles, do you actually speak Spanish? You always manage to confuse me further lol

Actually, that is why I act the way I do. :)

Please do not take me wrong. As I really think we have talented and well versed people in the forums in the matter of grammar.

However, I do think that most people do not know their grammar in their own language, and why should they start taking grammar in a foreign language, no less?

So, sometimes just by reading grammar stuff makes people cringe and shy away on whatever effort they put out to "learn" another language.

As far as I know this problem, of not knowing proper grammar, is present in native speakers of each language and most likely is going to persist. Should these people desist in their efforts to learn another language. I know that the ideal would be to learn grammar and speak properly, but what are the odds of that happening?

I am not sure of how to "cure" this, and at the same time I do not want to lose the input that these knowledgeable people have to contribute in the forums.

I hope that more people will be encouraged to speak up their fears and what not when confronted with this "problem" :)

And maybe we will get more people involved in the forums. :D

[Perikles]

However, I do think that most people do not know their grammar in their own language, and why should they start taking grammar in a foreign language, no less?

So, sometimes just by reading grammar stuff makes people cringe and shy away on whatever effort they put out to "learn" another language.
I hear what you say, but he asked a question about grammar, so I answered it by using grammar. I hardly think this is unreasonable. What do you suggest?:rolleyes:

Actually, my experience is that almost nobody manages to learn a second language without a concept of grammar.

[chileno]

I hear what you say, but he asked a question about grammar, so I answered it by using grammar. I hardly think this is unreasonable. What do you suggest?:rolleyes:

Actually, my experience is that almost nobody manages to learn a second language without a concept of grammar.

I know, and it is crazy.

Actually some of us think we know grammar just because we can recognize (or recognise, just to make you feel homey :D) parts of grammar such as tenses and words such as prepositions, etc... what sometimes most of usdo not even recall those and only when we start dwelling with them when taking a language course is when we start to "sport" them.

So again, it is difficult not to answer as you did, but there should be a middle point in all of this. Maybe if some of the readers would dare to post their apprehensions concerning the language we could try to help them better.

[Fazor]

Actually some of us think we know grammar just because we can recognize (or recognise, just to make you feel homey :D) parts of grammar such as tenses and words such as prepositions, etc... what sometimes most of usdo not even recall those and only when we start dwelling with them when taking a language course is when we start to "sport" them.

I probably know grammar in Spanish better than I do in English (and that's not to say that my Spanish grammar is extensive; it isn't). But I never liked grammar classes in school. I think a lot of us tend to ignore grammar in our native language, since you use it everyday. I can speak, write, and comprehend English perfectly fine without knowing a whole lot of grammar.

But when I started trying to learn Spanish, learning grammar became much more important. That's why I say my knowledge of Spanish grammar is better than English.

[Perikles]

But when I started trying to learn Spanish, learning grammar became much more important. That's why I say my knowledge of Spanish grammar is better than English.And that is one reason for learning a second language. Even if you don't get to use it, it does help you to understand how your own first language works.

[Fazor]

And that is one reason for learning a second language. Even if you don't get to use it, it does help you to understand how your own first language works.

Es verdad.

También, creo que estudiando gramática de ingles es aburrido porque ya sé un poco. No me gusta estudiar cosas que ya sé.

En un otra lengua, es nueva y más interesante.

[chileno]

Yo no estudié gramatica inglesa. But I can reed and right in English, write? :D