A1 Beginner Questions, comparison, future, prepositions
be going to
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can talk about plans you have already made, without forgetting to be.
When to use it
- A plan decided beforehand: I'm going to visit my grandmother this weekend.
- A prediction from visible evidence: Look at those clouds! It's going to rain.
- Different from will: will is decided on the spot, be going to was decided earlier
Form
| Subject | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | am going to + V | I am going to study. |
| He · She · It | is going to + V | She is going to study. |
| You · We · They | are going to + V | They are going to study. |
| Negative | am not · isn't · aren't going to | He isn't going to come. |
| Question | Am / Is / Are + S + going to + V? | Are you going to come? |
Step by step
- Choose am / is / are for the subject.
- Write going to — this part never changes.
- The verb after to is always the base form: no -s, no -ing.
Three ways the structure breaks
| Wrong | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| I going to study. | I am going to study. | to be is missing |
| She is going to studies. | She is going to study. | use the base form after to |
| They are going to studying. | They are going to study. | no -ing after to |
Examples
I am going to visit my grandmother this weekend.
She is going to buy a new bike tomorrow.
We are going to travel to Da Nang.
Look at those clouds! It is going to rain.
He isn't going to play football today.
Are you going to come to my party?
What are you going to do tonight?
My parents are going to buy a house next year.
Common mistakes
I going to buy a new phone. → I am going to buy a new phone.
to be is missing — the part most often dropped, because Vietnamese has no equivalent.
He is going to plays football. → He is going to play football.
After to the verb is always the base form, even for third person singular.
She is going to studying. → She is going to study.
The going in front misleads learners into adding -ing again. It does not.
Memory tip
This structure has three fixed parts: to be + going to + base verb. The last part never changes, whatever the subject.
Summary
- am / is / are + going to + base verb.
- Leaving out to be is the most common error.
- Never add -s or -ing after to.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.