The Future: will and be going to
Predictions, plans and decisions.
English has two common ways to talk about the future: 'will' and 'be going to'. We use 'will' + the base form of the verb for predictions based on what we think or believe ('I think it will rain tomorrow') and for spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking ('The phone is ringing. I will answer it'). We use 'be going to' (am/is/are going to) + the base form for plans and intentions we decided before speaking ('We are going to visit our grandmother next week') and for predictions based on present evidence we can see right now. For example: 'Look at those clouds! It is going to rain.' To make a negative we add 'not' ('will not / won't', 'is not going to'), and to make a question we put 'will' before the subject ('Will you help me?') or change the order with 'be' ('Are you going to study?'). Choosing between the two depends on the context: a plan or visible evidence means 'be going to', while a guess or an on-the-spot decision means 'will'.
Key terms
| Form | will | be going to |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | I will help you. | I am going to help you. |
| Negative | I will not (won't) help you. | I am not going to help you. |
| Question | Will you help me? | Are you going to help me? |
| Use | will / be going to |
|---|---|
| On-the-spot (spontaneous) decision | will: 'The phone is ringing. I will answer it.' |
| Prediction with no present evidence (opinion/guess) | will: 'I think it will rain tomorrow.' |
| Plan or intention decided before speaking | be going to: 'We are going to visit our grandmother next week.' |
| Prediction based on present evidence you can see | be going to: 'Look at those clouds! It is going to rain.' |
- 1Spontaneous decision: 'This bag is heavy.' 'I ___ carry it for you.' The speaker decides right now, at the moment of speaking, with no earlier plan, so use 'will': 'I will carry it for you.'
- 2Plan decided earlier: 'We ___ visit our grandmother next weekend. We already bought the tickets.' The tickets show the decision was made before speaking, so this is a plan: use 'be going to' (with 'we' = 'are going to'): 'We are going to visit our grandmother next weekend.'
- 3Prediction with present evidence: 'Look at those dark clouds! It ___ rain.' The clouds are evidence you can see right now, so use 'be going to' (with 'it' = 'is going to'): 'It is going to rain.'
- 1Read the cue words: Words like 'I think', 'probably', 'perhaps' and 'maybe' signal an opinion or guess about the future, with no present evidence.
- 2Opinion-based prediction uses will: 'I think he ___ pass the exam easily.' This is just an opinion, so use 'will': 'I think he will pass the exam easily.'
- 3Evidence-based prediction uses be going to: 'He hasn't studied at all, so he ___ fail the exam.' The fact that he hasn't studied is present evidence, so use 'be going to': 'he is going to fail the exam.'
Do not use 'will' for a plan or intention decided before speaking. If the decision was made earlier (for example, the tickets are already bought), use 'be going to': 'We are going to visit our grandmother', not 'We will visit our grandmother'.
Never drop the verb 'be' from 'be going to'. Forms like 'I going to' or 'going to be' are wrong; you must include am/is/are: 'I am going to', 'It is going to be'.
Do not use 'be going to' for a decision made at the moment of speaking. For a spontaneous, on-the-spot decision, use 'will': 'The doorbell is ringing. I will get it!'
Never combine 'will' and 'going to' (no 'will going to') and never use 'do/don't' with 'will'. The negative of 'will' is 'will not / won't', and questions start with 'Will...?' or, for 'going to', with 'Are/Is...?'
Rules
- 1Use 'will' + base verb for predictions (opinions/beliefs) and spontaneous decisions: 'I will help you.'
- 2Use 'be going to' (am/is/are + going to) + base verb for plans/intentions decided before now: 'I am going to study tonight.'
- 3Use 'be going to' for predictions based on present evidence you can see: 'Look at the sky! It is going to rain.'
- 4Negatives: 'will not / won't' and 'am/is/are not going to'.
- 5Questions: 'Will you...?' or 'Are you going to...?' — always followed by the base form of the verb.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard
10 random questions per test