Be going to: plans and predictions— A1 Grammar Exercises

Imagine your friend asks you, What are your plans for the weekend? You answer: I'm going to visit my grandmother on Saturday. You decided this before; it is your plan. Or you look up at the dark sky and say: It's going to rain. You can see it coming; it is your prediction.

Use be going to + verb for two main things: plans you decided before and predictions you can see now.

Form: how to make sentences with be going to

The structure has three parts: a form of be (am / is / are), the words going to, and the base form of a verb.

You need to know the verb to be first. Be going to uses am, is, and are exactly like the verb to be, and the subject pronoun (I, he, she, they) decides which form you need; see subject pronouns if you want to review them.

Positive, negative, and question

Short forms (contractions)

In speaking and informal writing, we usually use short forms.

Both negative short forms are correct. She isn't going to come is the neutral choice. She's not going to come puts a little extra weight on the not, useful when you want to stress the negative, like in a strong refusal.

Pronunciation note: in fast, informal speech, going to often sounds like "gonna": I'm gonna call you. Gonna is fine in conversation and song lyrics, but write going to in tests, emails, and formal English.

Use 1: plans and intentions

Use be going to for things you have already decided to do. The decision was made before the moment of speaking. The plan exists in your head now.

• I'm going to start a new job in May.
• We're going to buy a car next month.
• Anna is going to learn Spanish this year.
• They aren't going to move house. They like their flat.

Use 2: predictions based on what you see, hear, or feel

Use be going to when something in the present situation gives you evidence about the future. You can sense the signs now.

• Look at those clouds! It's going to rain. (I can see it)
• Listen to that engine; the car is going to break down. (I can hear it)
• I feel dizzy. I'm going to faint. (I can feel it)
• The baby is going to cry. (her face is already changing)
• Slow down! You're going to crash!
• That team is going to win. They're 4–0 in the second half.

Time expressions used with be going to

These signal words often appear with future plans. The small words like on, in, and at follow the same pattern as in other tenses; see prepositions of place and time if you need to review them.

• tomorrow: I'm going to wake up early tomorrow.
• tonight: Are you going to study tonight?
• next week / month / year: She's going to start university next year.
• this weekend / this evening: We're going to visit friends this weekend.
• on Monday / in July / at 6 p.m.: They're going to arrive on Friday.
• soon: It's going to start soon.

Special case: going to go

You can say I'm going to go, but it sounds repetitive. In normal speech, people often drop the second go and use the present continuous instead. Both versions are correct : they have the same meaning, but they use different tenses.

Common mistakes

Quick checklist

Frequently asked questions

What is be going to used for?

Be going to is used for two main things in English: future plans you decided before the moment of speaking (I'm going to visit my parents next weekend) and predictions based on something you can see, hear, or feel right now (Look at those clouds, it's going to rain). The form is am / is / are + going to + base verb.

What is the difference between going to and will?

Use going to for plans you decided before and for predictions you have evidence for now. Use will for decisions made at the moment of speaking and for general predictions without evidence. For example: I'm going to study tonight (I planned this earlier) vs OK, I'll help you (decided right now). At A1 level, focus on be going to first; will comes next at A2.

Is "gonna" correct English?

Gonna is a common spoken short form of going to: I'm gonna call you. It is normal and natural in fast, casual speech and in song lyrics, but it is informal. In writing, exams, and formal English, always use the full form going to. Gonna only replaces going to when another verb follows it (I'm gonna call, I'm gonna leave). When going to is followed by a place, you cannot use gonna; I'm going to the shop stays as it is.

Can you say "I am going to go"?

Yes, I am going to go is grammatically correct, but it sounds repetitive because the word go appears twice. In everyday English, most speakers shorten it to I'm going to + place: I'm going to the gym instead of I'm going to go to the gym. Both versions are correct; the shorter one is just more natural, and it's actually the present continuous, not be going to.

How do you make a question with be going to?

To make a question, put am, is, or are before the subject:

• Are you going to come?
• Is she going to study?
• Am I going to be late?

The structure is am / is / are + subject + going to + base verb. For wh-questions, put the question word first: What are you going to do tomorrow?

What is the negative form of be going to?

To make a negative, add not after am, is, or are:

• I am not going to work
• She is not going to call
• They are not going to come

The short forms are I'm not, isn't, and aren't. Don't put not before the main verb; say I'm not going to watch, not I'm going to don't watch.

What's next: other future forms

Related topics

• The verb to be: review am, is, are before practising be going to.
• Present continuous: also used for future arrangements at A2 level.
• Future plans and intentions (A2): your next step with future forms.