Is it GOING TO or WILL? FUTURE tenses (plans and intentions, predictions, possibilities, etc.)
18 Video Views·Jun 11, 2026
The future tense in English is not simple. When we talk about the Future Simple, we need to consider the auxiliary "will" plus the base of a verb. Instead, English offers also another important future tense structure "going to", which can be easily confused with the future simple. Nevertheless, there are some rules to pinpoint the differences. In this lesson, Mr. P./Marc will delve into these rules and give examples for each one. As usual at the end of the lesson he will recap to highlight the most important points talked in the lesson.
This lesson is intended for intermediate students who wish to improve their English grammar and for those above levels who wish to clear up doubts about this topic.
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Mr. P. is a Canadian English Teacher/Coach from Toronto, Canada, who has been teaching English since 1997. He taught English to adults in Rome for 20 years.
He graduated from Queens University and was an Honorary Fellow in the English Language at UNITELMA La Sapienza University in Rome. In the past, he was also a Language Monitor at the University of Toronto. He also taught English to many important politicians and celebrities in Italy. He is a certified English Teacher specializing in TEFL, TESL, TESOL (Arizona State University) & TOEFL.
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Hello everyone, how are you today? This is Marc. I'm doing great. Thanks for asking.
I'm going to visit Milan next weekend. I wonder, will it rain? Will it be safe?
In this lesson, I'm going to delve into the difference between going to and will, so stay tuned.
Right, so be going to and will. Let's look at first the timeline. If you have a horizontal line,
I divided it with a vertical line that represents now. On the left hand side you have the past
and on the right hand side you have the future. It will be a cross in the past because it will be
a plan for an effect in the future. I'm going to get to that in just one second, but let's look at
the different types of formulas. We have the subject for a positive sentence, then we have
be going to, the verb to be, you need to conjugate it, then we have the base of the verb, then the
object and the time expression. For a negative sentence, you need the subject first, obviously,
then you need be plus not, so the verb to be plus not, then you need going to, then the base of the
verb, and then the object. For an interrogative sentence, you need wh question word, if there is,
then you need the verb to be, then the subject, then going to, then the base of the verb, and then
whatever is next. So, when do we use be going to? First, you need to know that these two tenses
can be used with the first conditional. Actually, they are mostly used with the first conditional.
If you want to watch a lesson on the first conditional, you may click here.
Now, going back to be going to, we use it for plans and intentions, so to talk about an action
that was planned previously for a future effect. So, for example, I'm going to visit Milan
next weekend, I said at the beginning, right? So, if you have the timeline, I have here the horizontal
timeline, first, in the past, I decided I want to visit Milan, then I plan my trip,
you can see it right here, this would be now, right here would be now,
and then I visit Milan, I am going to visit Milan in the future. So, first, I want to visit,
then I plan the trip, and then I visit Milan. So, it's an action that was previously planned
and for an effect in the future. The second usage is for predictions based on evidence,
on evidence. For example, look at the dog, it's going to attack her. So, right now, I look at the
dog and I'm predicting he's going to attack a person. So, I say, look at the dog, he's going
to attack her at that moment. It's a prediction based on evidence because I see it happening.
Or, for example, I see my neighbor by the window and he's going to buzz me any minute. So, I see
the neighbor walking, I'm going to buzz me any minute. So, it's a prediction based on evidence.
The last point that I want to mention is gonna. I'm sure you heard it on songs, for example, or
when people speak like colloquially. Well, gonna is slang, but according to Professor Kazan from
University of Michigan, gonna is taking another meaning. Let's take a look at the two examples
I gave you here. If I said, I'm going to buy some milk, this implies movement. It implies movement.
If I said instead, I'm gonna buy some milk, it implies commitment at some time in the future.
Obviously, we're talking about the future. So, this is more a commitment, gonna, and going to
implies movement, but this is slang. So, I recommend you learn going to. Now, for will instead, we use it
for a future action that I decided at the moment of speaking, just like my timeline.
We have the horizontal line, like before, that is divided in two, past and future, and the vertical
line is now. So, we have the cross here for at the crossroads of now and the horizontal line,
and then a cross in the future. So, I decide right now. Let's look at the different types of
sentences. So, for a positive sentence, we need the subject, plus will, plus the base of the verb,
then the object, and then whatever the time expression. Then, for a negative sentence,
we need the subject, plus will, plus not, so it would be won't, plus the base of the verb,
plus the object, and then the time expression, if any. For an interrogative sentence, we need the
WH question word, if any, then we need will, then the subject, and then the base of the verb,
and then whatever is next. I want to say that will is used, when you want to use will,
is usually contracted into I'll, just like my examples. I will explain to you just in a minute,
just to remind you that will is used for the first conditional. So, the first
usage of will is for voluntary decisions and promises, like my example, I'll, I'll,
be careful while in Milan. So, this is a decision that I'm saying right now for the future, right?
I'm saying it right now for the future. I'll be careful while in Milan, or he'll help you
with your homework. He'll help you with your homework. This is a promise. So, voluntary
decisions and promises. The second usage is for possibility, like my example. Will it rain in
Milan? I don't know, but will it rain? It could be, right? Will it be safe? This is another example.
Will it be safe? Now, usually, it's usually used with think, reckon, guess, etc. For example,
I think we'll live on Mars by 2050. This is a prediction, but not based on evidence,
but it's just what I think it will happen by 2050. Now, the third usage is for habits that
are predictable. For example, she just won't listen to my advice. She just refuses to listen
to my advice. Now, the second example, John will fall asleep when watching movies. This is a habit.
So, when he watches movies, he falls asleep every time. So, John will fall asleep when watching
movies. Now, let's recap. In this lesson, we talked about the difference between will and be
going to. We use be going to for plans and intentions and also for predictions based on
evidence. I also talked about gonna. Watch the lesson again if you missed that part. Instead,
we use will for voluntary decisions and promises, possibility, and predictions not based on
evidence. But also, we use it for habits that are predictable. That's it for today. Thank you
very much for watching. If you liked the lesson, please share it. If you haven't subscribed to my
channel, please do. You will get a new lesson next week right on your email box. So, have a nice day
and see you next week. Take care. Bye-bye.