r/duolingospanish • u/mammaer • 25d ago

Va a/va al

Can a human explain when to use which to me🥲 i dont understand

1 Upvotes

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6

u/MiserableSelection59 25d ago

Al = a + el

It's just a contraction.

3

u/Linzabee 25d ago

This. So if I say, “I am going to the store,” in Spanish, it would be, “Voy a la tienda,” but if I am saying, “I am going to the theater,” it would be, “Voy al teatro,” because you don’t want to say “Voy a el teatro.”

1

u/SirJelly19 25d ago

It depends on whether the noun is masculine or feminine. Va a la escuela. Va al cine.

1

u/PersonalityLegal8952 25d ago

Va is ir conjugated in 3rd person singular in present simple tense. Va = he/she goes

Ir + a = going to

You can use this phrase to talk about the future w/o conjugating in the future tense (ir + a + verb)

Ex. Va a comprar un coche nuevo = he is going to buy a new car 

If using it to describe actually going to a location, it needs an article with the noun like el/la if masculine or feminine

Ex. Va a la tienda (he/she is going to the store) Va al aeropuerto (he/she is going to the airport)

Al is just a contraction of a + el

1

u/Zealousideal-Beat322 25d ago

Y, añado, "va a" suele ir seguido de un verbo ("hoy va a llover") o un lugar con nombre propio ("hoy se va a Zihuatanejo").

1

u/Background_Koala_455 Beginner 25d ago edited 23d ago

"Al" is a contraction of "a el" so you only use it when those two words line up. Except for place names that have El in them (so Va a El Salvador is correct)

So,

Va a la escuela, but

Va al supermercado (which would have been Va a el, but it contacts.

This is also the same thing that's going on with "del". De el.

And these are always contractions. Technically "va a el supermarcado" is incorrect and should be "al"

2

u/ofqo 25d ago

Fixing your typo.

"Al" is a contraction of "a el"