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Grammar › Future with going to

Going to: positive sentences

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

The form of be agrees with the subject. Going to and the verb never change.

He singular subject

is going to is + going to

apply plain verb

for the job the rest

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The pattern

Four parts: subject, the right form of be, going to, then the plain verb.

I am going to start on Monday.

Only the first piece changes. Going to is fixed, and the verb never takes an ending.

Stating a plan

This is the natural way to answer a question about the future when you have already thought about it:

What are you doing this summer? — We*’re going to** drive through Norway.*

Answering We will drive through Norway would suggest the idea just occurred to you.

Predictions you can point at

The evidence is usually in the same breath:

She’s driving far too fast. She*’s going to** crash.*
There are no clouds left. It*’s going to** be a hot day.*

Was going to

The past form says the plan existed and then did not happen:

I was going to call you, but the battery died.

This is the standard way to explain a broken intention, and it almost always comes with the reason attached.

All forms

Subject	Full form	Short form
I	I am going to work	I'm going to work
you, we, they	you are going to work	you're going to work
he, she, it	she is going to work	she's going to work

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

We are going to have a party for our friend's birthday.
He is going to start learning a new language soon.
I am going to learn a new language in the future.
The twins are going to buy the tickets online tonight.
They are going to have dinner at their favorite restaurant tonight.
The students are going to go to the museum next week.
They are going to throw a party for their friends next week.
The students are going to take English lessons next semester.
Mary is going to buy a new car next month.
Charlie is going to play his soccer match on Sunday.
Mark is going to invite his friends for dinner next week.
My parents are going to plan a vacation to Europe next year.

Mistakes to avoid

Wrong: We going to leave at six. correct: We are going to leave at six.

The auxiliary be cannot be left out.

Wrong: He is going to visits his aunt. correct: He is going to visit his aunt.

The verb after going to is always plain.

Other forms of Future with going to

Positive Statements in Future Simple Tense with "to be going to" 450 sentences, 45 tests of ten Negative Statements in Future Simple Tense with "to be going to" 450 sentences, 45 tests of ten Questions in Future Simple Tense with "to be going to" 450 sentences, 45 tests of ten WH-Questions in Future Simple Tense with "to be going to" 500 sentences, 50 tests of ten

Mixed practice → Done with this form? Try it among all the others — ten, twenty or thirty sentences from every form at once.