Going to: statements about plans

An intention that exists now

Be going to helps you say that someone plans to do something. The action is still in the future, but the intention already exists. The decision was often made before the conversation: you are reporting your plan.

A plan does not need a ticket, an exact time, or an arrangement with another person. A sentence about an intention also does not guarantee that everything will happen: circumstances may change.

I'm going to learn to cook.

I am going to learn to cook.

This is an intention; an exact start date is not necessary.

We are going to paint the kitchen on Sunday.

The speaker names a shared plan and the time when they want to carry it out.

Three parts of the construction

First, name the person who has the plan. Use am after I, is after he/she/it or one person’s name, and are after you/we/they or several people.

Then use going to and the base form of the action: read, buy, work. In this English construction, am is required after I.

How to build it

I am / he, she, it is / you, we, they are + going to + verb

verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

I am going to read this book.

Am comes after I; the action is read.

Marta is going to buy a bike.

Marta is one person, so use is.

Marta and Leo are going to share a flat.

Two people require are. Share a flat means live in the same flat here.

The verb after to

The base form is required after going to: she is going to work, not works. Agreement with she is already shown by is.

The base form can also be be: I'm going to be a cook. Do not replace this second be with am/is/are. If the action is go, the combination going to go is also correct.

How to build it

is going to + work / buy / be / go

He is going to make some tea.

Make remains in the base form after to.

I'm going to be a teacher.

Am agrees with I, while be after going to names a future profession.

They are going to go home after lunch.

The first going belongs to the planning construction; go names the action itself.

Full and contracted forms

In ordinary conversation and friendly messages, the subject and be are often contracted: I am → I'm, she is → she's, we are → we're. The meaning of the plan stays the same.

Full forms are also correct. In this lesson, write going to; you may hear the conversational form gonna, but it is not the required written form in these exercises.

How to build it

I'm / you're / he's / she's / it's / we're / they're + going to + verb

verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.

She is going to call us.

This is the full form is.

She's going to call us.

She's means she is here; the rest of the construction does not change.

We're going to have dinner at home.

We're is a contraction of we are, and have remains in the base form after to.

Add time and useful details

You can specify when: tonight, tomorrow, next week. Going to works for both near and distant plans.

A time expression can go at the end or at the beginning. If the time is already clear from the conversation, you do not need to repeat it. Tomorrow by itself does not mean that going to is the only possible construction.

I'm going to clean my desk tonight.

Tonight specifies when the cleaning is planned.

Next year we're going to learn Italian.

The plan is distant; going to is not limited to the next few minutes.

I'm going to make soup.

You can answer a question about tonight's dinner this way without repeating tonight.

Similar sentences can have different meanings

I'm going to the library reports where someone is going or plans to go. A place follows to. I'm going to read reports a planned action: a verb follows to. Both sentences are correct.

The same be going to construction can also express a prediction based on present evidence: It's going to rain. This does not mean that the weather has its own plan. The main practice here is human intentions.

Will and the Present Continuous can also talk about the future. The choice depends on the context and on what the speaker wants to emphasize. In this lesson’s tasks, going to is the target, so another correct construction may not meet that specific requirement.

I'm going to the library now.

The library is a place; go means movement here.

I'm going to read at home tonight.

Read names the planned action; no movement is involved.

Look at those dark clouds. It's going to rain.

This is a prediction based on visible evidence, not an intention.

Say something of your own

For your own message, choose an action, name the person who plans it, and add one useful detail. You can talk about the evening, studying, home, or a shared activity. If the task asks for your own example, you can invent the facts; if it already gives you a situation, keep those facts.

Not every sentence in a short text needs to contain going to. You can give a reason using the ordinary present tense. Here we are practicing statements; forming negatives and questions independently will be separate next steps.

I'm going to make a small shelf. I need more space for my books.

The first sentence reports the plan; the second explains it.

We're going to cook together on Saturday. My friend is going to bring some vegetables.

The shared plan uses are; one person’s plan uses is.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:I going to travel tomorrow.

Correct:I am going to travel tomorrow.

In a standard statement with I, am is required before going to.

Incorrect:She are going to start a course.

Correct:She is going to start a course.

She agrees with is, not are.

Incorrect:They are going buy a table.

Correct:They are going to buy a table.

To is required before the base form buy in this construction.

Incorrect:He is going to cooks dinner.

Correct:He is going to cook dinner.

Use cook without s after going to; is already shows the form for he.

Incorrect:We are going to are ready at six.

Correct:We are going to be ready at six.

The base form be is required after going to, even when the subject is we.

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