Going to or Will

When we want to talk about future facts or things we believe to be true about the future, we use 'will'.

• The President will serve for four years.
• The boss won't be very happy.
• I'm sure you'll like her.
• I'm certain he'll do a good job.

If we are not so certain about the future, we use 'will' with expressions such as 'probably', 'possibly', 'I think', 'I hope'.

• I hope you'll visit me in my home one day.
• She'll probably be a great success.
• I'll possibly come but I may not get back in time.
• I think we'll get on well.

If you are making a future prediction based on evidence in the present situation, use 'going to'.

• Not a cloud in the sky. It's going to be another warm day.
• Look at the queue. We're not going to get in for hours.
• The traffic is terrible. We're going to miss our flight.
• Be careful! You're going to spill your coffee.

At the moment of making a decision, use 'will'. Once you have made the decision, talk about it using 'going to'.

• I'll call Jenny to let her know. Sarah, I need Jenny's number. I'm going to call her about the meeting.
• I'll come and have a drink with you but I must let Harry know. Harry, I'm going to have a drink with Simon.

The Future - Will future

Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

• The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
• Next year, I'll be 50.
• That plane will be late. It always is.
• There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

• I'll probably come back later.
• He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
• Maybe it will be OK.
• Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

• I think I'll go to bed now.
• I think she'll do well in the job.
• I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
• I hope you won't make too much noise.

We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

• Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
• I'll answer that.
• I'll go.
• I won't tell him. I promise.

Going to

There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.

• I'm going to see him later today.
• They're going to launch it next month.
• We're going to have lunch first.
• She's going to see what she can do.
• I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.

• When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
• In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

• Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
• Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
• These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
• You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

• I'm going out later.
• She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

Past Review 2

We can use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

• I left school when I was sixteen.
• I was very happy then.
• He told me all about his childhood.

We can use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.

We can use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
• She hasn't arrived yet.
• We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
• Have you ever been to Argentina?

The Present Perfect Continuous can be used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future.

• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.
• He's been phoning me all week for an answer.

Past Review 1

We can use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

• I left school when I was sixteen.
• I was very happy then.
• He told me all about his childhood.

We can use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.

We can use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
• She hasn't arrived yet.
• We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
• Have you ever been to Argentina?

The Present Perfect Continuous can be used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future.

• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.
• He's been phoning me all week for an answer.