1. The decision exists; the action is still ahead
Imagine that yesterday you decided how to spend Saturday. Today you are not making the decision again; you are reporting your intention. Be going to is natural for this perspective. Depending on the language, this meaning may be translated as “intend to”, “plan to” or a future form when the plan is clear from the conversation.
This is a present intention about a future action, not an action that has already started. The decision can be simple: it does not require a detailed schedule, a ticket or many days of preparation.
I chose a recipe yesterday. I'm going to make soup on Saturday.
I chose a recipe yesterday. I'm going to make soup on Saturday.
The second sentence reports an intention already chosen; the cooking is still ahead.
Marta is going to learn to drive.
Marta is going to learn to drive.
This is her intention. The sentence does not state that she has already enrolled in lessons.
2. Be changes, not the main verb
Choose am with I, is with he/she/it or one name, and are with you/we/they or several people. Going to stays unchanged, and the following verb takes the base form: cook, buy, leave, be. Do not add -s after he or she or use -ing instead of the base form.
I'm, you're, we're, they're, he's and she's are natural in ordinary conversation and informal writing. Full forms are correct too. This material uses the written form going to; colloquial gonna is not needed for the exercises.
I am / he, she, it is / you, we, they are + going to + base form
- V1 / base form —
- The base verb without to: work, go, be.
My brother is going to sell his old desk.
My brother is going to sell his old desk.
The singular subject needs is; sell stays in the base form after going to, not sells.
We're going to be at home tonight.
We're going to be at home tonight.
Are belongs to the construction, while be is the main verb after going to. These two forms of be perform different jobs.
3. A negative intention
To say what you do not intend to do, put not after am/is/are. Do not add don't or doesn't: auxiliary be is already present. I'm not, she isn't / she's not and we aren't / we're not express the corresponding negatives.
Preserve the meaning: not intending to buy does not mean being unable to buy, and not planning to go this year does not mean never going. Do not invent a reason for the decision.
Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base form
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- V1 / base form —
- The base verb without to: work, go, be.
I'm not going to buy a new phone this year.
I'm not going to buy a new phone this year.
The negative concerns the intention for this year, not the ability to buy a phone.
They aren't going to paint the kitchen.
They aren't going to paint the kitchen.
Aren't is the contraction of are not; paint remains in the base form.
4. Asking about someone else's plan
In a question, move am/is/are before the subject. For more detail, add what, when, where or how at the beginning. Do not begin with do/does. A question does not confirm that the plan exists: the answer can be yes or no.
In a short answer, use be and the appropriate pronoun: Are you…? — Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. Do not contract final be in a positive short answer: Yes, she is., not Yes, she's.
(Question word) + am/is/are + subject + going to + base form?
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- V1 / base form —
- The base verb without to: work, go, be.
What are you going to cook tonight?
What are you going to cook tonight?
What asks about the food, and are comes before you. The question does not tell us which dish it will be.
Is Eva going to take the bus? — Yes, she is.
Is Eva going to take the bus? — Yes, she is.
The question begins with is, and the short answer matches Eva: she is.
5. The time of the action does not tell us when the decision was made
Going to can refer to the next few minutes or next month. What matters is that the speaker presents the intention as already existing, not how far away the event is. Tomorrow or next week alone does not show when the person decided to act.
You do not have to add I decided yesterday every time. If someone asks about plans, that perspective is already clear. In a learning exercise, explicit context helps make the distinction visible.
I'm going to leave in five minutes. That was my plan this morning.
I'm going to leave in five minutes. That was my plan this morning.
The action being near does not make the decision spontaneous.
We're going to grow tomatoes next spring.
We're going to grow tomatoes next spring.
A plan can concern a distant time; going to is not limited to the near future.
6. A plan is not necessarily an arrangement or a guarantee
Reporting an intention does not add facts the speaker has not stated. I'm going to visit my friend does not prove that the friend has agreed to the visit or that tickets are already bought. The plan may still change.
The Present Continuous often presents the future as an organised arrangement, but the forms can overlap. Someone who has already made arrangements can still describe their intention with going to. This lesson practises that construction without banning other natural ways to talk about the future.
I'm going to visit Leo next month. I haven't spoken to him about it yet.
I'm going to visit Leo next month. I haven't spoken to him about it yet.
The intention exists, but there is no shared arrangement yet; the two sentences do not contradict each other.
We're going to eat out on Friday. We haven't chosen a restaurant yet.
We're going to eat out on Friday. We haven't chosen a restaurant yet.
An intention does not require a restaurant name or a booking.
7. Going to and will: a useful contrast, not a rigid prohibition
Going to is typical for reporting an earlier decision; I'll is often used for a decision made as a reaction now. Will also expresses offers of help and promises. These are neighbouring functions, not evidence that every sentence with will is incompatible with a plan.
An intention can also be expressed shortly after choosing. I'm going to have pizza. is grammatical while looking at a menu: the speaker reports an intention they now have. The mere presence of an open menu does not make it wrong. I'll have pizza. is natural too, especially as a choice or order. In exercises requiring going to, a version with will may fail to meet the learning aim, but that is not the same as a grammar error.
I chose my meal earlier. I'm going to have the vegetable pasta.
I chose my meal earlier. I'm going to have the vegetable pasta.
The speaker reports an earlier choice rather than making it in this remark.
That soup looks good. I'll have that, please.
That soup looks good. I'll have that, please.
A natural example of a decision made while ordering. This does not establish a universal ban on going to in restaurants.
8. Going to do is different from going to London
Look at the word after to. In the future construction, it is a base-form verb: going to call, going to read. In going to London, London is a place; going expresses movement and to gives the direction. Such a sentence can refer to the future through context, but its structure is different.
Going to go is entirely correct: the first going to expresses intention, while go names the planned action. The separate use of going to for a prediction based on present evidence is only identified as a boundary here; it is not practised as a personal plan.
I'm going to London tomorrow.
I'm going to London tomorrow.
To is followed by a city name: this is go in the Present Continuous, not going to + the base form of another verb.
I'm going to go to London next year.
I'm going to go to London next year.
Going to go explicitly expresses an intention to travel; the repeated go is not an error.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:I going to clean the windows.
Correct:I am going to clean the windows.
Going to needs a finite form of be before it; with I, that form is am.
Incorrect:My parents is going to move.
Correct:My parents are going to move.
Parents is plural, so use are, not is.
Incorrect:She is going to buys a bicycle.
Correct:She is going to buy a bicycle.
After going to, use the base form buy without -s.
Incorrect:We don't going to stay late.
Correct:We aren't going to stay late.
Negate be: are not. Don't does not replace are in this construction.
Incorrect:Do you going to invite Max?
Correct:Are you going to invite Max?
Form the question by moving are before you, without do.
Incorrect:Yes, she's.
Correct:Yes, she is.
In an independent positive short answer, final be cannot be contracted.