Going to + infinitive verb
We use the going to form to talk about the future. The going to form is thought to be less formal than the will future tense. Below are a few examples explaining how we use going to in the future.
We use it to talk about:
- future plans that were previously made.
- and to make predictions about the future based on evidence.
Future plans
These examples show definite plans for the future that were made in the past.
- I am going to look for a new job.
- She is going to start English lessons next month.
- We are going to Florida for July 4. We have plane tickets!
Predictions
These predictions can be made because there is prior knowledge that the future event may happen.
- I hear thunder. It’s going to
- I study for my exam all night. I’m going to get a good grade!
- John is not going to eat the food. He doesn’t like pork.
Making the future form in this tense is easy. See structure below.
| Subject | Be | Going to + infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| I | am | going to work. |
| He / She/ It | is | going to work. |
| You / We / They | are | going to work. |
Change the order for the question form. The sentence begins with the verb “to be”.
| Be | Subject | Going to + infinitive verb |
|---|---|---|
| Am | I | going to work? |
| Is | he / she / it | going to work? |
| Are | you / we / they | going to work? |
Long answer form examples.
Am I going to work tomorrow?
- Yes, I am going to work tomorrow.
- No, I am not going to work tomorrow.
Short answer form examples.
| Affirmative | Negative |
| Yes, I am | No, I am not. |
| Yes, he is. | No, he is not. |
| Yes, we are. | No, we are not. |
| Yes, they are. | No, they are not. |
Contractions
We can use contracted forms for the going to future as we do in other grammar tenses.
Affirmative contractions
| I'm going to |
|---|
| You're going to |
| He's going to |
| She's going to |
| It's going to |
| We're going to |
| They're going to |
Negative contractions
*There is only one way to contract for the subject “I”
| I'm not going to |
|---|
| You're not going to |
| He's not going to |
| She's not going to |
| It's not going to |
| We're not going to |
| they're not going to |
| *I'm not going to |
|---|
| You aren't going to |
| He isn't going to |
| She isn't going to |
| It isn't going to |
| We aren't going to |
| They aren't going to |
Click here for exercises on going to future.