More times than not a student asks a really good question that requires some thinking on my part. Not because I don't know the answer, but because I don't want to give one of those famous "because" answers.
Here's her question: "What is the present progressive form of "ir"? Is it estar vando? I want to say, "I'm going to go to Texas." I guess I should just say "Voy a Tejas," huh?
EXCELLENT QUESTION!!
1. The present progressive form of "ir" is "yendo". It's irregular and rarely used, especially since the regular present tense will solve your needs and is more commonly used.
Using your sentence, I would use the "ir + a + infinitive" format. Voy a ir a Tejas. I'm going to go to Texas. Your sentence is more of a semi-future type of sentence, than a present progressive which leads me to point 2.
2. Remember the purpose of using the present progressive. We use it to express what we are in the process of doing, what's happening right now as we speak. I think this is one of the reasons why using "yendo" is rare.
Can I use "yendo"? Sure!
Imagine you're on a bus/train/boat/plane/bike and I call you and say, "hola chica, ¿Qué estás haciendo? Since you are in the process of "going" you could say, "Estoy yendo a Tejas".
I would think that you were very excited about your trip. Makes sense?
This is just to give you an idea of how "yendo" works and one example of how I'd use it.
Hope it helps.
Ciao,
MLMoore
P.S. Keep them coming, these questions help me, help you, and help others and that's what learning is all about!
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