Unit 28: (BE) Going to

Going to

Going to is not a tense. It is a special expression to talk about the future.

Structure of Going to
The structure is:

subject + be + going to + infinitive

The verb be is conjugated (past, present or future).

subject + be (not) + going + infinitive
+ I am going to buy a new car.
+ I'm going to go swimming.
- He is not going to take the exam.
- It isn't going to rain.

Interrogative:
be + subject + going to + infinitive
? Are you going to paint the house?

Use of Going to

Going to - intention

We use going to when we have the intention to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision before speaking. Look at these examples:

Jo has won the lottery. He says he's going to buy a Porsche.
We're not going to paint our bedroom tomorrow.
When are you going to go on holiday?
In these examples, we had an intention or plan before speaking. The decision was made before speaking.

Going to - prediction

We often use going to to make a prediction about the future. Our prediction is based on present evidence. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

The sky is very black. It's going to snow.
It's 8.30! You're going to miss the train!
I crashed the company car. My boss isn't going to be very happy!
In these examples, the present situation (black sky, the time, damaged car) gives us a good idea of what is going to happen.

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