Design to be going to in English

2024 Author: Angel Austin | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 03:53

There are many grammatical structures in the English language that can confuse or mislead. One of them is to be going to. Let's take a closer look at how and why it should be used.

Translation and meaning to be going to

The main purpose of using the construction is to express the future through the present, i.e. the action has not happened yet, but we are sure that it will or will not happen. In other words, we use turnover to talk about immediate plans, express an intention that arose earlier, or predict an event that should come true. This turnover can also be used in some constructions, for example, in orders, prohibitions and refusals.

Regarding plans or intentions, the literal translation of the phrase to be going to is “going to do”. If we are talking about an upcoming event, then, depending on the context, expressions like “something will happen now”, “just about to happen” and so on can be used for translation. Don't try to translate a sentence from going to into Present Continious, focusing on the ending ing: it just doesn't make sense.

Examplesuse

Let's take a closer look at situations in which it is appropriate to use the construction to be going to in English, and give examples.

Plans for the near future: in the most general case, with the help of a construct, we communicate what we are going to do right now or in the near future. For example:

We are going to have dinner right now. Would you like to join us? - We're going to have dinner right now.
I'm going to visit my Granny tomorrow. - I'm visiting my grandma tomorrow.

Long-established intention: we talk about a decision that was made in advance, long before the moment of the conversation.

She is going to become a doctor. - She's going to be a doctor

Predicting a very likely or expected event: we are reporting an event that is very likely to happen. We are sure of its coming, because we have reliable information or we have the prerequisites for its expectation. Most often, the construction is used in a conversation about the weather, but it can also refer to a specific situation that occurs in parallel with the moment of the conversation.

Look at these clouds - it's going to rain. - Look at these clouds - it's about to rain.
Watch out! You are going to fall! - Carefully! You're about to fall!

Orders and demands. Another option for using the construction is the desire to insist on the performance or non-performance of an action in incentive and narrativeoffers.

You are going to study there whether you want it or not. - You will study there whether you like it or not.
You are going to eat your breakfast, otherwise you will stay hungry till tomorrow! - You will eat your breakfast, otherwise you will be hungry until tomorrow!

Refusing: in this case, we express a categorical refusal to perform an action. We recommend that you be careful in using to be going to to protest, because. such a proposal may sound harsh or rude.

I am not going to stay at home even if you mind my leaving. - I'm not going to stay at home even if you object to me leaving

How is the structure formed?

Affirmative form. The future in the present is formed by combining the verb to be in the desired form, the turnover going to and the verb of action.

Subject	to be	going to	action verb
I	am	going to	play read stay etc.
She He It	is
We You They	are

Please note that only the first part of to be changes, the rest always remain in their original form.

Negative form. If we are sure that the action will not happen, we do not plan to do something, we refuse or forbid doing something, we should use the negative formgoing to designs. The particle not follows the verb to be before going (but not between going and to).

Subject	to be	particle not	going to	action verb
I	am	not	going to	play read stay etc.
She He It	is
We You They	are

Examples:

I'm not going to do it anymore. - I'm not going to do that anymore.
It's not going to finish. - It won't end.

Interrogative form. The order of words in an interrogative sentence with going to changes in the usual way: first comes the interrogative word, if any, then the verb to be, after it the subject, then going to and the verb of action.

Question word (optional)	to be	subject	going to	action verb
How Where What Which … When Why etc.	am	I	going to	do try eat etc.
	is	she he it
	are	we you they

Examples:

Are you going to do your homework today? - Are you going to do your homework today?
Is she going to visit us today? - Is she going to visit us today?
When are you going to call him? - When are you going to call him?

Short form gonna

In English songs and movies you can often hear gonna instead of going to. This is a shortened form used only in colloquial speech. It is formed as follows:

to be + gonna + verb

In this case, the to particle between gonna and the action verb is no longer placed.

Subject	to be	gonna	action verb
I	am		play read stay etc.
She He It	is	gonna
We You They	are	gonna

Examples:

I'm gonna talk to him when I see him. - I'm going to talk to him when I see him.
I am gonna be with you - I'll be with you.

Design was / were going to

The construction we are considering is also formed in the past tense. In this case, the construction to be going o expresses the past that did not come true. To form it, it is enough to put the verb to be in the second form, depending on the number of the subject.

Subject	to be	going to	action verb
I	was	going to	play read stay etc.
She He It	was
We You They	were

For example:

I was going to read a book but she got me outside. - I was going to read a book, but she dragged me outside.
We were going to marry but suddenly I realized that I hadn’t loved him anymore. - We were going to get married, but I suddenly realized that I didn't love him anymore.

It is possible to use the construction was / were going to in a negative form. In this case, the expression describes an action that did not happen according to plan or did not happen as we expected. To form a negation, it is enough to put the particle not between the verb was or were and going to.

Subject	to be	not	going to	action verb
I	was	not	going to	play eat stay etc.
She He It	was
We You They	were

For example:

I was not going to spend more than a week in the seaside, but I loved this place very much and stayed theretill the end of the summer. - I didn't intend to spend more than a week on the coast, but I really fell in love with this place and stayed there until the end of the summer

As well as for the present tense, in colloquial speech it is appropriate to replace going to with gonna.

I was gonna call you but simply forgot. - I was going to call you, but I just forgot

To be going to with verbs of motion

Note that the construction to be going to is not used with verbs of motion. It is not strictly forbidden, sometimes such use occurs, but it would be grammatically correct to avoid it. To express the future through the present, you just need to put the verb of action (in this case, movement) in the form of a long time (Present Continuous):

Are you coming for a cup of coffee on Saturday? - Will you drop by for a cup of coffee on Saturday?
I am going to London this summer. - I'm going to London in the summer.
We are meeting them tomorrow. - We're meeting them tomorrow.

Remember the main verbs of motion with which you should not use the construction to be going to: