About ir

Question

Ellas suelen ir al cine los viernesUsually we use Ellas van, how about this Ellas suelen ir? May I know what is this ir in this case.

Accepted Answer

Hola Cathy
Using soler + infinitive is a formula in Spanish to express that someone "usually" does something. In English there is no specific verb to say this, but you simply add the adverb "usually/normally/generally..." and then use the main verb conjugated. But we have the verb soler for this, that you conjugate - if you think of "tend to do..." where you have a verb "to tend to", this is very similar. So:

Suelo comer tostadas por la mañana.
I usually /[~tend to] toast in the morning.
Solemos ir a la piscina los martes.
We normally [~tend to]   go to the pool on Tuesdays.

I hope this clarified it.
Inma

Answer

Soler=To tend to (do something)And "soler" takes the infinitive form of a verb after ite.g. Yo solía almorzar con mis amigos, pero ya no = I tended to have lunch with my friends, but not anymoreSee how "comer" is in the infinitive form just like how "ir" was.