Going to: asking about plans and expected events

A question seeks information

Are you going to cook? asks whether someone intends to cook. The question itself does not assert that a plan exists: the answer can be yes or no.

Going to also helps ask about an expected result suggested by what we see now. A question about rain involves no human intention.

Are you going to cook tonight?

A question about the other person’s plan.

Look at those dark clouds. Is it going to rain?

A forecast is checked against visible evidence, rather than someone’s intention.

Am, is or are moves to the beginning

In a neutral yes/no question, be precedes the subject: Am I…?, Is he/she/it…?, Are you/we/they…? One person’s name normally takes is; two people take are.

After the subject, retain going to and a base verb. Do not add do/does before this construction.

How to build it

Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb …?

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.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
V1 / base form: The base verb without to: work, go, be.

Is Marta going to start a new job?

Is agrees with one person and precedes her name.

Are Ben and Eva going to help us?

Two people require are; help takes no -s.

Am I going to work with you?

You can ask about your own future if the other person knows the plan.

What, where, when and how

For a specific detail, place a question word before am/is/are: what for an action or thing, where for a place or destination, when for a time, how for a manner. The rest of an ordinary question with a separate subject retains inversion.

What time asks for a time; how many asks for a count. Keep the question phrase together at the beginning.

In Who is going to help?, who itself is subject: the question asks who will help. Do not add a separate he or she. This is a brief contrast; complex subject questions remain outside the main practice.

If the agent is known and the question asks about a recipient, retain the separate subject: Who are you going to send it to? You sends it; who asks about the recipient. Are precedes you; final to links sending to the recipient.

How to build it

question word + am/is/are + subject + going to + base verb …?

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.
verb / V: A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
V1 / base form: The base verb without to: work, go, be.

Where are you going to stay?

Where asks about a place; are precedes you.

What time is the lesson going to start?

What time forms one question phrase.

Who is going to open the shop?

The unknown person performs the action, so who takes the subject position.

Who are you going to send the invitation to?

You is the known sender; who is the unknown recipient. This differs from who’s role in Who is going to open the shop?.

A short answer changes perspective

A going to question can receive Yes/No + pronoun + be, without repeating the whole plan. If you are addressed individually, answer with I; for your group, use we. For Marta, use she.

An affirmative short answer retains full be: Yes, I am. / Yes, she is. Negatives can contract: No, I’m not. / No, she isn’t. / No, she’s not. Full negatives are also correct.

Yes, I am confirms the plan in this dialogue rather than separately asserting existence. Where…? or When…? normally needs a place or time, not just yes.

Are you going to join us? — Yes, I am.

You becomes I in the response; final am is not contracted.

Is she going to drive? — No, she isn't.

Negative isn’t can end a short answer.

When are you going to call? — After lunch.

The reply supplies the requested detail; a full sentence is optional in conversation.

The verb after going to stays in its base form

Question formation changes be’s position but not the verb after to: work, buy, be, go. In Is she going to be late?, initial is forms the question and be describes the future state.

Going to go is normal. Compare Are you going to the station? with Are you going to go to the station? The first uses progressive go with a destination; context can make it current movement or a future arrangement. The second explicitly contains going to + base-form go.

Are we going to be late?

After to, use be, although are already precedes we.

Are you going to go home after work?

The second go is the main verb; home needs no to.

Are you going to the station now?

To the station identifies direction. The written sequence going to alone does not prove the future construction is present.

Neutral questions and echo questions

Are you going to come? is an ordinary way to ask about a plan for the first time. You are going to come? is also possible to check what was heard or express surprise. These are different question functions, rather than an automatic correct/incorrect pair.

Tasks requesting a neutral complete question practise am/is/are before a separate subject. If that form is explicitly required, a declarative-order echo question misses the target, although it can be natural in another conversation.

In Where’s she going to work?, Where’s means Where is. Use going to in ordinary written practice; conversational gonna occurs in speech, but its spelling is not this lesson’s target.

Are you going to sell your bike?

A neutral information question about a plan.

You're going to sell your bike?

The same topic is expressed as a surprised echo question; context and pronunciation change its function.

Where's she going to work?

The contraction after where is acceptable; is still precedes she.

From an answer to the next question

First establish whether there is a plan, then ask for an unknown detail. Do not ask again about something just supplied.

A going to question does not guarantee the event will occur and is not the only way to discuss the future. This lesson deliberately practises one construction. Your own examples may be fictional.

Are you going to learn a new skill? — Yes, I am. — What are you going to learn?

The second question adds information after the short confirmation.

I'm going to make soup. — What vegetables are you going to use?

The response develops an established plan rather than asking again whether soup will be made.

Common mistakes

Incorrect:Does she going to call?

Correct:Is she going to call?

This construction forms its question with is, not does.

Incorrect:Is you going to buy it?

Correct:Are you going to buy it?

You requires are whether it refers to one person or several.

Incorrect:Are they going to works here?

Correct:Are they going to work here?

Going to requires base-form work without -s.

Incorrect:Where are you going stay?

Correct:Where are you going to stay?

Before base-form stay, to is required as part of going to.

Incorrect:Yes, I'm.

Correct:Yes, I am.

An affirmative short answer does not end with a contracted pronoun + be.

Sources