Irse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb irse means to go away, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Irse means to go away, and it is the everyday verb for leaving a place, going off somewhere and getting out of the way. It is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish — the present is voy, the preterite is fui, the imperfect is iba and the gerund is yendo — so learn its forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive. Like every Spanish verb, irse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me voy de casa temprano, and in the preterite you say me fui sin despedirse de nadie. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: irse
  • English: to go away
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: yendo
  • Past participle: ido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + ido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for irse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Irse is highly irregular: me voy, me fui, me iba, yendo. The affirmative imperative is ve, and the negative is no te vayas.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for irse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me voy
tú te vas
él/ella/Ud. se va
nosotros/as nos vamos
vosotros/as os vais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se van

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fui
tú te fuiste
él/ella/Ud. se fue
nosotros/as nos fuimos
vosotros/as os fuisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fueron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me iba
tú te ibas
él/ella/Ud. se iba
nosotros/as nos íbamos
vosotros/as os ibais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se iban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me iré
tú te irás
él/ella/Ud. se irá
nosotros/as nos iremos
vosotros/as os iréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se irán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me iría
tú te irías
él/ella/Ud. se iría
nosotros/as nos iríamos
vosotros/as os iríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se irían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he ido
tú te has ido
él/ella/Ud. se ha ido
nosotros/as nos hemos ido
vosotros/as os habéis ido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han ido

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había ido
tú te habías ido
él/ella/Ud. se había ido
nosotros/as nos habíamos ido
vosotros/as os habíais ido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían ido

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré ido
tú te habrás ido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá ido
nosotros/as nos habremos ido
vosotros/as os habréis ido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán ido

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría ido
tú te habrías ido
él/ella/Ud. se habría ido
nosotros/as nos habríamos ido
vosotros/as os habríais ido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían ido

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me vaya
tú te vayas
él/ella/Ud. se vaya
nosotros/as nos vayamos
vosotros/as os vayáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se vayan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me fuera
tú te fueras
él/ella/Ud. se fuera
nosotros/as nos fuéramos
vosotros/as os fuerais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se fueran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te ve
él/ella/Ud. se vaya
nosotros/as nos vayamos
vosotros/as os id
ellos/ellas/Uds. se vayan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te vayas
él/ella/Ud. se vaya
nosotros/as nos vayamos
vosotros/as os vayáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se vayan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund yendo with estar for the progressive: estoy yendo (or me estoy yendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle ido with haber for the perfect tenses: he ido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me voy de casa temprano. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me fui a Madrid en tren. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me iba sin despedirse de nadie. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me iré de viaje el lunes. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me iría de casa temprano si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he ido a Madrid en tren. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había ido sin despedirse de nadie antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré ido de viaje el lunes. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For irse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría ido de casa temprano con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se vaya a Madrid en tren. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se fuera sin despedirse de nadie, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se vaya de viaje el lunes. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. This tense is irregular for this verb: irse is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with the present voy, the preterite fui, the imperfect iba, and the gerund yendo. Learn the forms in the table as a set. For irse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te vayas de casa temprano. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with irse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me voy de casa temprano. — I go away from home early.
  2. Se va a Madrid en tren. — He/she goes away to Madrid by train.
  3. Ayer, me fui sin despedirse de nadie. — Yesterday, I went away without saying goodbye to anyone.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos íbamos de viaje el lunes. — Before, we used to go away on a trip on Monday.
  5. Mañana, tú te irás de casa temprano. — Tomorrow, you will go away from home early.
  6. Yo me iría a Madrid en tren si tuviera más tiempo. — I would go away to Madrid by train if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha ido sin despedirse de nadie. — He has gone away without saying goodbye to anyone.
  8. Espero que él se vaya de viaje el lunes. — I hope he goes away on a trip on Monday.
  9. Yo ya me había ido de casa temprano antes de salir. — I had already gone away from home early before leaving.
  10. Ellos se iban a Madrid en tren cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to go away to Madrid by train when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo voy de casa temprano. — Right: Yo me voy de casa temprano. — Irse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo me voy de casa temprano. — Right: Ayer yo me fui de casa temprano. — Irse is highly irregular: the present is me voy, but the preterite is me fui. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating irse and marcharse as identical in every context. — Right: Irse means to go away, while marcharse means to leave. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: irse fits sentences such as Me voy de casa temprano, while marcharse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy ido a Madrid en tren. — Right: Yo he ido a Madrid en tren. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he ido, has ido, ha ido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo fui sin despedirse de nadie todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo iba sin despedirse de nadie todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (iba), not the preterite. The preterite (fui) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on irse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de casa temprano. (present tense) A. me voy B. te vas C. se va D. nos vamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a Madrid en tren. (preterite) A. me fui B. te fuiste C. se fueron D. se fue

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ sin despedirse de nadie. (imperfect) A. te ibas B. se iban C. nos íbamos D. me iba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ de viaje el lunes. (future) A. nos iremos B. te irás C. me iré D. se irá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ de casa temprano si pudiera. (conditional) A. me iría B. te irías C. se iría D. se irían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a Madrid en tren. (present subjunctive) A. me vaya B. te vayas C. nos vayamos D. se vaya

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ sin despedirse de nadie, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se fuera B. nos fuéramos C. me fuera D. te fueras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ de viaje el lunes. (present perfect) A. se han ido B. nos hemos ido C. me he ido D. te has ido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ de casa temprano. (negative imperative, tú) A. te vayas B. se vaya C. nos vayamos D. os vayáis

  10. Which is the gerund of irse, used with estar for the progressive? A. ido B. voy C. fui D. yendo

Answer key

  1. me voy — The first-person present of irse is me voy. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se fue — The third-person preterite of irse is se fue, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos íbamos — The nosotros imperfect of irse is nos íbamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te irás — The second-person future of irse is te irás.
  5. me iría — The first-person conditional of irse is me iría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se vaya — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of irse is se vaya.
  7. me fuera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of irse is me fuera.
  8. nos hemos ido — The nosotros present perfect of irse is nos hemos ido: hemos + ido.
  9. te vayas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te vayas.
  10. yendo — The gerund of irse is yendo: estoy yendo. The participle ido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does irse mean in English?

Irse means to go away. It is used in everyday situations such as Me voy de casa temprano. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is irse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Irse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me voy de casa temprano and él se va a Madrid en tren. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between irse and marcharse?

Irse means to go away, while marcharse means to leave. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use irse when you mean to go away, as in Me voy de casa temprano, and use marcharse for to leave. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I go away” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me fui a Madrid en tren. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me iba sin despedirse de nadie. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he ido a Madrid en tren.

How do I practise irse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the irse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links