"Will" and "Going to" are two similar but different ways of talking about future. The main difference is that will refers to forecasts of things that are believed to happen and to spontaneous decisions, while going to It is used to talk about plans for the future, things that are likely to happen with certainty, and for decisions already made.
In both cases they must be accompanied by a main verb.
The construction of the sentence with will is:
Subject + will + Infinitive verb.
The construction of the phrase with going to is:
Subject + verb to be conjugated + going to + Infinitive verb
Questions with Will and Going to
Will is an auxiliary verb, so when a question is asked, will must be said at the beginning of the sentence. The construction of questions with will is:
Will / Won’t + subject + verb + ?
In the case of "going to" what changes place is the verb to be:
To be conjugated + subject + going to + Infinitive verb + ?
Third person singular
Unlike other auxiliary verbs like do or have, will does not change when used with the third person singular (he, she or it). This is because it is a modal verb, that is, it is not conjugated. The main verb is also not modified.
On the contrary, “going to” is always preceded by the conjugated verb “to be”.
- I think I’ll buy a car. (I think I'll buy a car.)
- I'm going to buy a car with my savings. (I'm going to buy a car with my savings.)
- That tree is rotten, it's going to fall. (That tree is rotten, it's going to fall.)
- I have to go, I’ll talk to you later. (I have to go, I'll talk to you later.)
- I'm going to talk to him about this issue. (I'm going to talk to you about this matter.)
- I think I am going to study now. (I think I'm going to study now)
- She will become a scientist. (She will be a scientist.)
- He's going to work hard to make it. (You will work hard to achieve it.)
- I’ll be prepared next time. (I'll be ready next time.)
- He will be the best astronaut ever. (He will be the greatest astronaut of all time)
- I'm going to buy some clothes for the party. (I'm going to buy clothes for the party.)
- I'll see you later. (See you later.)
- I'm going to prepare some food. (I'm going to prepare some food).
See also: Examples of Will and Won’t
- Are you going to eat that? (Are you going to eat that?)
- Are you going to the party tonight? (Are you going to the party tonight?)
- Will he be alright? (It will be OK?)
- Are we going to clean the house? (Shall we clean the house?)
- Will he become the boss? (Will he become the boss?)
- Are you going to stay longer today? (Are you staying longer today?)
- Will she be a ballerina? (Will it be a dancer?)
- Are they going to start training this year? (Are you going to start training this year?)
- Will you see them from here? (Do you see them from here?)
- Will he become an astronaut? (Will he become an astronaut?)
- Are we going to learn something new today? (Are we going to learn something new today?)
- Will I be on time? (Will I be on time?)
See also: Example Sentences with Going To
Andrea is a language teacher, and on her Instagram account she offers private lessons by video call so that you can learn to speak English.
