The English language has three verb forms with future value. Your choice is generally decided based on the degree of certainty that is had with respect to what is affirmed, on the one hand, and the degree of immediacy with which what is expressed will occur, on the other.
Among these three verb forms with future value, the ‘going to’ formula stands out. This is used to express future circumstances that respond to a defined planning and with respect to which there is no doubt that they will actually occur.
The other two possibilities are the future through the auxiliary 'Will', for decisions that will be consummated in a future instance, not so immediate and eventually not so safe. And the different verbs in present continuous, to express something planned in the very short term.
Expressions that include the expression ‘going to’ work, then, to express actions in the future of which, in general, it is certain. But it is also often used to express predictions motivated by a specific situation that precedes it and ensures the consummation of the fact.
For example, if a child is playing with a glass, an adult next to him could say 'If you continue doing that (present simple), you are going to break the glass (future)', which is equivalent to saying: “ If you keep playing with that glass you will break it ”.
In the event that the expression does not want to be done with such certainty, it could be said that if you continue doing that it may break the glass, but there you no longer resort to “going to” but to other expressions that indicate the greater or lesser probability for that event to occur ('may' or 'might', respectively), followed by the present simple.
Finally, some less frequent uses of going to are described. In mode interrogative, the usual English formula of altering the position between assistant and subject is used ('are you going to buy a new car?' as 'are you going to buy a new car?').
On the other hand, the ‘going to’ can appear in the past tense, logically to express the futures referred to a past: ‘We were going to buy that house when she told us that the credit had been objected‘ (‘We were going to buy the house when she told us that the credit had been objected’).
Here is a list with some examples of sentences with 'going to'
- We're going to play tennis at 7 PM
- She is not going to buy that car
- Are they going to stay at London for more than a week?
- We are going to wash the dishes
- I am going to visit a friend this afternoon
- They have the feeling their company is going to expand
- They are not going to come with us
- You are not going to pass your English test if you don't study harder
- Are you going to publish this novel?
- Look that sky, it's going to rain soon
- He is going to speak at the meeting
- I am going to work right now
- Are we going to have lunch with the visitors?
- They are going to prepare some cookies for us
- Who is going to buy the ingredients we need to prepare the cheesecake?
- She was going to leave the house, fortunately, she changed her mind.
- Are they going to come with us?
- I was going to sell my stone collection, but I changed my mind.
- Adriana is going to pick up her little sister
- Why are you going to visit Hong Kong?
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.
