Going to: plans and predictions
Talk about plans and intentions — and predictions based on what you can see — with be going to.
In this lesson you will
- Form be going to + verb
- Talk about plans and intentions
- Make predictions from present evidence
Learn
Form: am/is/are going to + base verb: I’m going to study medicine. Are you going to buy it? She isn’t going to come.
Plans and intentions decided before now: We’re going to paint the kitchen this weekend.
Predictions with evidence — you can see it will happen: Look at those clouds. It’s going to rain. Be careful — you’re going to fall!
In fast speech going to often sounds like gonna — understand it, but write going to.
Examples
- I’m going to learn to drive next year.
- What are you going to do after the course?
- She isn’t going to accept the job.
- Watch out! That glass is going to fall.
Vocabulary
plan
an idea about what you will do
intend
plan to do
“I intend to save money.”
prediction
what you think will happen
evidence
something that shows something is true
watch out
be careful
Practice
Complete the sentence.
Speaking
Talk about your plans: this weekend, next month and next year. Use “I’m going to…” and “I’m not going to…”.
Writing
Write about three goals for this year and how you’re going to achieve them (60–80 words).
Lesson quiz
They ___ get married in June.
Review
Key points
- am/is/are going to + base verb.
- Plans and intentions.
- Predictions from present evidence.
What you learned
- ✓ I can talk about my plans.
- ✓ I can make predictions from evidence.
- ✓ I can form going to questions and negatives.
Grammar reference: Future forms: will, going to, present continuous