eng6-2.1· Əlavə: proqramdan kənar qrammatika· ~13 min

be going to

Future plans and intentions.

We use 'be going to' to talk about plans and intentions — things we have already decided to do. The structure is: subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. We choose am with 'I', is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they. For example: 'I am going to visit my grandparents next weekend.' To make a negative sentence, add 'not' after am/is/are: 'She is not going to eat meat.' In questions, move am/is/are to the front: 'Are you going to study tonight?' We often pair 'be going to' with future time expressions such as tomorrow, next week, next year, this summer, and on Saturday to make the time clear. A common mistake is writing 'gonna' in formal writing — always write 'going to' in full. Do not confuse 'be going to' with the Present Continuous: 'I am going to cook' expresses a plan, while 'I am cooking' describes an action happening right now. For example: 'We are going to travel to London next summer because we want to see Big Ben.'

Key terms

be going to — A structure (am/is/are + going to + base verb) used to talk about plans and intentions you decided earlier.
base verb — The simple dictionary form of a verb with no endings — for example: go, play, eat, visit.
future time expression — A word or phrase that tells when a future plan happens — for example: tomorrow, next week, next year, this evening, on Saturday.
negative form — The form used to say a plan will NOT happen: am not / is not (isn't) / are not (aren't) + going to + base verb.
question form — The form used to ask about a plan: move am/is/are before the subject — for example: Are you going to study?
short answer — A brief yes/no reply that uses only am/is/are (or isn't/aren't) — for example: Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.
Subject + am / is / are
SubjectForm of beExample
IamI am going to visit my grandparents.
he / she / itisShe is going to cook dinner tonight.
you / we / theyareThey are going to play football on Saturday.
my brother (= he)isMy brother is going to start a new school.
my parents (= they)areMy parents are going to travel next year.

Choose am with I, is with he/she/it, and are with you/we/they.

Positive, Negative, and Question Forms
FormStructureExample
Positivesubject + am/is/are + going to + base verbI am going to buy a new bag.
Negativesubject + am/is/are + not + going to + base verbShe is not going to eat sweets any more.
Negative (contraction)isn't / aren't + going to + base verbThey aren't going to miss the bus.
Yes/No questionAm/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb?Are you going to study tonight?
Wh- questionWh- word + am/is/are + subject + going to + base verb?What are you going to do at the weekend?

In negatives, 'not' goes after am/is/are. In questions, am/is/are moves before the subject.

Short Answers
QuestionYes answerNo answer
Am I going to ...?Yes, you are.No, you aren't.
Is he/she going to ...?Yes, he/she is.No, he/she isn't.
Are you going to ...?Yes, I am.No, I'm not.
Are they going to ...?Yes, they are.No, they aren't.

Short answers use only the verb be (am/is/are or isn't/aren't) — never 'do', 'does', or 'will'.

✎Building a positive sentence
  1. 1Step 1: choose your subject: Subject: She
  2. 2Step 2: pick the correct form of be: She → is
  3. 3Step 3: add 'going to' + base verb: She is going to learn Spanish.
  4. 4Step 4: add a future time expression: She is going to learn Spanish next summer.
✎Turning a positive sentence into a question
  1. 1Positive sentence: He is going to visit the new café next week.
  2. 2Step 1: move 'is' before the subject: Is he going to visit the new café next week?
  3. 3Step 2: short answer (yes): Yes, he is.
  4. 4Step 3: short answer (no): No, he isn't.
🚫Common mistake

After 'going to', always use the BASE form of the verb — NOT the -ing form and NOT a past form. Wrong: 'I am going to visiting my friend.' / 'She is going to learned Spanish.' Correct: 'I am going to visit my friend.' / 'She is going to learn Spanish.'

🚫Common mistake

Never use 'do' or 'does' with 'be going to'. Wrong: 'Do you going to help me?' / 'What does she going to do?' Correct: 'Are you going to help me?' / 'What is she going to do?'

⚠️Caution

'will going to' is not correct English. The structure is simply am/is/are + going to + base verb. Wrong: 'I will going to start.' Correct: 'I am going to start.'

💡Note

Do not write 'gonna' in formal or school writing. Always write 'going to' in full.

Rules

  1. 1Structure: subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. Use 'am' with I, 'is' with he/she/it, and 'are' with you/we/they.
  2. 2Negative: add 'not' after am/is/are — 'I am not going to watch TV tonight.' Contractions: isn't, aren't.
  3. 3Questions: move am/is/are before the subject — 'Is she going to cook dinner?' Answer: 'Yes, she is.' / 'No, she isn't.'
  4. 4Use future time words (tomorrow, next week, next year, this evening) with 'be going to' to say when the plan happens.
  5. 5After 'going to', always use the base form of the verb — never -ing or past tense: 'He is going to play' (NOT 'playing' or 'played').

Practice

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10 random questions per test

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