English tenses › be going to
be going to
Be going to is for intentions and plans you already have, and for predictions based on what you can see now.
Form
+I’m going to call · she’s going to call · they’re going to call−I’m not going to call · she isn’t going to call?Are you going to call? · What is she going to do?
When to use it
Intention or plan
Decided before the moment of speaking.
Next week we’re going to visit Porto.
Prediction from evidence
You can see it coming.
Look at those clouds. It’s going to rain.
Time words
next week, tomorrow, soon, this summer, Look…
Examples
- I’m going to start a YouTube channel.
- Are you going to tell her?
- He’s not going to like this.
- Careful, you’re going to fall!
- We’re going to move in spring.
- What are you going to do about it?
Common mistake
I going to buy a car.
I’m going to buy a car.
Do not forget am / is / are before going to.
be going to or Future Simple?
Be going to is a plan made before; will is a decision made now: I’m going to learn Spanish this year. OK, I’ll learn it with you. More about Future Simple.
Hear it in videos
See it in real speech. Paste any YouTube link into Tense Lens and every tense in the video is highlighted as it is spoken, with a map of where each one appears.