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Be Going To vs. Will vs. Other Future Tenses

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Common mistakes

  1. (NG) Maybe I am going to go to the beach tomorrow.
    1. (OK) I am going to go to the beach tomorrow.
  2. (NG) Jenny will see a movie tonight.
    1. (OK) Jenny is going to see a movie tonight.

 

Grammar words and phrases in context

I am going to go to Boston this weekend. I will be meeting my friend Jack there. I hope the weather will be nice. I’ve got tickets for the baseball game and I am going to the game with Jack too.

Be going to

We use be going to followed by a verb when there is a set plan, an appointment, etc.:

  1. A friend of mine is going to get married this weekend.
  2. I am going to go to the beach this weekend.
  3. Jenny is going to see a movie tonight.

Be careful! It sounds strange to use maybe with be going to:

  1. Maybe I am going to go to the movies with Betty.

That’s because maybe means perhaps or I’m not sure and it sounds strange if you are not sure about a set plan!

Gonna

We usually pronounce going to in be going to as gonna.

  1. A friend of mine is gonna get married this weekend.
  2. I’m gonna go to the beach this weekend.
  3. Jenny’s gonna see a movie tonight.

Keep in mind that gonna is just used in spoken English. We don’t use gonna in written English.

Will

In general, we use will to make a prediction or guess, and/or when there is not a set plan:

  1. Someday, I will find true love….
  2. I think I will move to Florida when I retire.
  3. Do you think it will rain today?

Since will is used when there is not a definite plan, we can use maybe, perhaps, I think, etc.… with will:

  1. Jenny: What are you doing this weekend?
    Jack: I don’t know. Maybe I will clean the garage if the weather is not too hot.
  2. Perhaps it will rain tomorrow.
  3. I think Jack will go to the party. He likes parties.

We also use will when we make a serious promise to someone, like this:

  1. I will love you forever.
  2. I will be by your side until the end of time.
  3. I will work hard on this project until its successful conclusion.

We also use will when we decide or offer to do something at the same moment we are speaking.

  1. When the phone rings in the office, and you decide at that moment to answer the phone, you can say, “I’ll get it.”
  2. When you hear someone ring the doorbell, and you decide at that moment to open the door, you can say, “I’ll answer the door.”
  3. When the teacher asks the class, “Who wants to give their speech first?” you can say, “I’ll go first.

We also use will when we talk about itineraries and official arrangements.

  1. (train announcement) We will soon arrive at Tokyo station.
  2. The president will meet with the prime minister at 4pm, and then they will attend the dinner reception.

We can also use the present progressive tense and the simple present tense to talk about the future.

We use the present progressive tense for the future when we talk about something we have already made plans or arrangement to do. Remember, the structure of the present progressive is be + ING:

  1. A friend of mine is getting married this weekend.
  2. I am going to the beach this weekend.
  3. Jenny is seeing a movie tonight.

 This is the exact same meaning as:

  1. A friend of mine is going to get married this weekend.
  2. I am going to go to the beach this weekend.
  3. Jenny is going to see a movie tonight.

 We use the simple present tense for the future when we talk about schedules, timetables, and future events that have a fixed starting or ending time:

  1. The wedding reception starts at 9pm.
  2. The hotel told me that check-in begins at 2.
  3. The flight to Boston departs at noon.

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