Interrogative sentence in English going to. Construction “To be going to”: a clear rule and many examples. Scheme for forming an affirmative sentence

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Turnover to be going to for future plans in English language. To be going to for Future Plans.

In English there are several ways to express future plans, however, the most popular and widespread is the turnover to be going to. In this lesson we will look at its conjugation, meaning and usage in various types proposals.

The phrase to be going to is a bit like the present long time verb to go, which is close to the truth, since the present continuous tense is also quite often used to express actions in the future. However, the main feature of the phrase “to be going to” is precisely that we are just we are planning/going to do something in the future. For example:

I"m going to travel to Canada next year. - I'm going to go on a trip to Canada in next year.

I. First we should consider conjugation of the phrase to be going to by person using personal pronouns as an example, and this will help you better understand how to use it in sentences.

1. Below is the conjugation in affirmative, negative and interrogative forms:

(+)
I am going to (I"m going to) - I’m going
You are going to (You"re going to) - You are going / You are going
He is going to (He"s going to) - He is going
She is going to (She"s going to) - She is going
It is going to (It"s going to) - He/she is going (inanimate)
We are going to (We"re going to) - We are going
They are going to (They"re going to) - They are going

(-)
I am not going to (I"m not going to) - I’m not going to
You are not going to (You aren't going to) - You are not going / You are not going
He is not going to (He isn't going to) - He is not going to
She is not going to (She isn't going to) - She is not going to
It is not going to (It isn't going to) - He/she is not going to (inanimate)
We are not going to (We aren't going to) - We are not going to
They are not going to (They aren't going to) - They are not going to

(?)
Am I going to ..? - Am I going to..?
Are you going to ..? -Are you going/Are you going..?
Is he going to ..? - Is he going to..?
Is she going to ..? - Is she going to..?
Is it going to ..? - Is he/she going to..? (inanimate)
Are we going to ..? - Are we going to..?
Are they going to ..? - Are they going to..?

Based on the conjugation of the phrase to be going to, we can conclude that contractions are possible in the affirmative and negative forms, and they are preferable, especially in oral speech.

In the conjugation it is also clear that only the verb to be itself changes in persons, and the rest of the phrase remains unchanged. To form a negative form, the particle “not” is added to the verb to be. To form questions, the verb to be, due to inversion, is moved forward.

2. Now that it is clear how they are formed various shapes turnover, let's look at a few proposals for future plans and intentions:

(+) He's going to Paris next week. - He's going to Paris next week.
(-) We aren't going to attend the tomorrow meeting. - We are not going to attend tomorrow's meeting.
(?) Are they going to take a holidaIy next month ? -Yes, they are. -No, they aren't." -Are they going to take a vacation next month? -Yes. -No.
(?) What are you going to do next summer? - What are you going to do next summer?

As can be seen from the examples, in sentences with the phrase to be going to, future marker words are often used. Among them, tomorrow (tomorrow), the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow), next week(next week), next year (next year), soon (soon), in two days (in two days), in the future (in the future), after a while (after a while), in a few days (in a few days), etc.

It is also clear from the examples that short answers directly depend on the verb to be used in the question, and, accordingly, whether the answer is affirmative or negative.

Another conclusion from the examples indicates the possibility of compiling special questions with the phrase to be going to. In such questions, the word order remains the same as in general ones, but the corresponding question word (what, who, when, why, etc.) comes first.

3. One of the most important rules composing sentences with the phrase to be going to is something that immediately after it only the infinitive is used(unchanged form of the verb). For example:

I"m going to take a bus to work. - I'm going to go to work by bus.
Chris is going to fly back to the United States in a few days" time. - Chris is going to fly back to the United States in a few days.
It isn't going to rain tonight. - It's not going to rain in the evening. / It doesn't look like it will rain in the evening.
Is he going to talk to her soon? - Is he going to talk to her soon?

4. The question often arises: what to do when the main action in a sentence is expressed by the verb go (to walk), i.e. can I use it? phrase going to go, and wouldn’t this be tuftology? In fact, from a grammatical point of view, it is possible, this is not wrong, but in order to To maintain style in the sentence, it is better to omit the second word go. The meaning of the sentence will not be lost, but it will sound better. For example:

They"re going to go to school tomorrow morning. = They"re going to school tomorrow morning. (preferable, sounds better) - They are going to go to school tomorrow morning.

II. The second important aspect of consideration is cases of using the phrase to be going to.

1. As already noted, the main purpose of using the phrase to be going to is expression of future plans and intentions. For example:

We are going to visit our friends tonight. - We are going to visit our friends this evening.
Lena and Andy are going (to go) on holiday in three weeks. - Lena and Andy are going (to go) on vacation in three weeks.
He isn't going to apologize for his rude behavior. - He is not going / intends to apologize for his boorish behavior.

2. Another purpose of using the phrase to be going to is expressing the future probability or inevitability of an action in the future. For example:

Fresh air is going to do you good. - Fresh air will do you good. (probability)
Is it going to snow tomorrow? - Will it snow tomorrow? (probability)
Be careful! That brick is going to fall down. - Be careful! That brick is going to fall./is likely to fall. (inevitability)
She is going to fall ill. - She is getting sick./most likely will get sick. (inevitability)

The phrase to be going to is often found in English proverbs and famous quotes. For example:

What's going to happen will happen. - What is going to happen cannot be avoided.
The calf is going to be roped. - To be a bull on a string.

My interest is in the future because I "m going to spend the rest of my life there. (Charles F. Kettering) - The future is of main interest to me, because there I am going to spend the rest of my life. (Charles F. Kettering)
Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where their people come from and where they are going. (Rita Mae Brown) - Language is the road map of culture. He will tell where his people came from and where they are going to go. (Rita Mae Brown)

Thus, we have become familiar with the popular English phrase “to be going to,” which helps express future plans and intentions. We also looked at the use of this phrase in various types of sentences and some of its distinctive features.

If you pay attention to the use of the phrase to be going to in various contexts, you will notice that it is used quite often and in many cases. Try to think about your future plans or intentions and express them also using the phrase to be going to. This will be a good reinforcement of the lesson.

As we can see, the variable part of this construction is the verb to be, and therefore, precisely thanks to , the construction be going to is consistent with the subject and has the forms of the present and past simple tenses.

Be going to in PRESENT SIMPLE.

Consider the use of be going to in the Present Simple.

Be going to in PAST SIMPLE.

Consider the use of be going to in the Past Simple.

Usually, use of be going to limited to the two tenses described above - Present Simple and Past Simple.

Basic rules and features of using be going to.

The use of be going to often overlaps with the use of verbs in the Future Simple or Present Continuous. Let's consider these cases, as they often cause difficulties.

Difference between be going to and Future Simple.

Be going to means ‘to get ready to do something’, while the verbs in the Future Simple indicate spontaneity/immediateity of the decision. Compare:

Polly"s going to visit her granny on Sunday. - Polly is going to visit her grandmother on Sunday.

MOTHER: Polly, your granny's just phoned. She feels bad.

POLLY: OK, I will visit her on Sunday.

(MOM: Polly, grandma called. She's not feeling well.

POLLY: Okay, I'll visit her on Sunday)

In the first case, we are talking about a deliberate intention, and in the second, about a momentary decision caused by circumstances.

The difference between be going to and Present Continuous.

One of the meanings of the Present Continuous is to indicate an action planned for the future.

Polly is visiting her granny on Sunday. – Polly is planning to visit her grandmother on Sunday.

Then What is the difference between be going and Present Continuous? There is a difference, although it is not always obvious.

Using Present Continuos for planned actions usually implies:

having an agreement with someone
availability of pre-purchased tickets or any other preparations for future action.

Be going to only expresses personal intention carry out some action.

Thus:

Polly is visiting her granny on Sunday. (Polly is planning to visit her grandmother on Sunday. She has made arrangements with her grandmother, perhaps purchased tickets, bought her a gift, or something similar.)

Polly is going to visit her granny on Sunday. (On Sunday Polly plans to visit her grandmother. Polly decided so without agreeing with anyone.)

It is worth emphasizing once again that the difference between be going and Present Continuous can only be obvious from the context. Without context, both sentences - Polly is visiting her granny on Sunday and Polly is going to visit her granny on Sunday - will be correct and we will not be able to settle on one specific option.

Note!

Be going, as a rule, is not used with the verbs go and come. If in Russian "I'm going to go" is a completely acceptable phrase, then in English 'I'm going to go' does not sound entirely correct. Instead of 'I'm going to go' (I'm going to go) and 'I'm going to come' (I'm going to come) you should simply use 'I'm going' and 'I'm coming'.

Be going can mean inevitability, enormous probability, obviousness of a future event. Typically, the context describes the signs that an event will occur.

Polly "s missed the bus. She’s going to be late. - Polly missed her bus. She’ll probably be late.

You will probably also find this article useful, where you will find not only the theory, but also exercises on this topic.

There are several ways to talk about plans for the future, dreams, and upcoming events. This is where the rub comes in. After all, it can be both the present tense and the future, and a special construction to be going to. It is the latter that we will talk about.

If you know exactly what you are going to do, then use to be going to, which in Russian (relative to the future tense) will sound like “I’m going, I intend.” The action refers to the future, the immediate, almost exact. Our rules and exercises on “to be going to” will help you see the usage and all the differences from other times.

Conjugation of the construction to be going to

The verb be is revealed according to the conjugation, the usual forms in the present tense. And after to there is always one more action.

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I am going to sleep	I am not going to sleep	Am I going to sleep?
She (he, it) is going to sleep	She (he, it) is not going to sleep	Is she (he, it) going to sleep?
We are going to sleep	We are not going to sleep	Are we going to sleep?
You are going to sleep	You are not going to sleep	Are you going to sleep?
They are going to sleep	They are not going to sleep	Are they going to sleep?

Well abbreviated forms, which are used both in spoken language and in writing.

I am= I am = am not - not abbreviated

She is= she’s= isn’t

We are = we’re = aren’t

They are = they’re= aren’t

Use

1. In order not to be confused with Present Continuous ( in the meaning of going - where the process is emphasized), pay attention to the infinitive after to. The first tells where you are going, and the second tells what you are going to do. Well, what can I say, let's look at examples:

I am going to the theater. - I am going to the theater.

I am going to do shopping. — I'm going shopping.

She is not going by bus now. — She's not going by bus now.

She is not going to get out of the bus. “She’s not going to get off the bus.”

2. To be going to is often confused with Future Simple , where the future is expressed with will be. The second tense speaks about the intended action, about what you expect, plan, believe, predict future actions, but do not know for sure. Or, if you decide to do something at the moment of conversation, based on the situation, then we use will be. But if your intention was previously far-fetched, then - to be going to.

We haven't any sugar. I will take some. - We don't have sugar. I'll take some. (The action occurred during the conversation)

I am going to buy some sugar because we haven’t any. — I'm going to buy sugar, since we don't have any. (It’s already been decided what needs to be bought, and I’m already going to buy)

Are you sure that he will get this place? - Are you sure he will get this place? (assumption)

It's 4 o'clock. We are going to be late. - Four o'clock. We will be late (the present situation suggests that we are going to be late in the near future, this is almost certain)

Look! the sky is grey. It is going to rain. - Look! Grey sky. It's going to rain now (almost certainly, the results of the present say so)

I have seen the forecast. It will be rainy tomorrow. — I looked at the weather forecast. It will rain tomorrow (possibly)

The first part of the plan was completed. We have read the rules. Now it’s time to move on to exercises on “to be going to.” After them, you will be convinced that there is nothing complicated in this design. Your task is to carefully look at the sentence and its meaning, and the rest is a matter of practice. Get started!

Exercises on to be going to

Open the brackets and put the verb in the Future Simple or use to be going to.

I've a headache. Wait. I... (bring) you an aspirin.
Why have you taken the water? I... (wash) a car.
I want to paint my room. - What color do you (paint) it?
What would you like to drink? I... (have) a glass of milk.
Oh. We need some money. - I... (lend) a little.
Did you send a letter? No, I forgot. I... (do) it now.
I have bought the manual of the phone and I (read) it.
I (go) to this camp next month.
I think you (be) a good mother.
I... (leave) you soon. My holidays are over.
When we (make) the decision we… (let) you know.
Let's go inside. It (rain).
Where are you going? — I (buy) some bread for dinner.
What we.. (have) for dinner? I don’t know... Ok. We (have) potatoes.
My car is broken and I (repair) it.

The phrase to be going to is translated into Russian as getting ready to do something. IN English speech this phrase comes up very often. The phrase is used to express future intentions that have already been decided. To use this expression correctly, let's look at the situations in which it is used and what the subtleties of this construction are. Many native speakers pronounce the final letter [goingG] in the word going, but in standard English pronunciation used in speech according to this transcription [ˈgəʊɪŋ], that is, the sound G is not pronounced.

Formation of the phrase be going to

be going to rules and examples of formation of turnover:

verb To be (am/is/are) going to + Infinitive

-I' m going to study for exams - I'm going to prepare for exams.
-I am going to visit my stepfather this evening - I'm going to visit my stepfather this evening.

For fluent speech, they are often abbreviated with pronouns - I'm, he's, she's.

Forms of sentences of the construction Be going to

You already know that the construction to be going to in English has three sentence forms: affirmative, negative and interrogative. To quickly understand how sentences are built with turnover, we have displayed everything in tables.

Table of formation of affirmative and negative sentences

For affirmative sentences we use the formula:

Subject + the verb to be (am/is/are) + going to + infinitive + rest of sentence.

For negation the formula is the same. Only negative particle not stands after . Negative sentences can be shortened in two ways: He isn’t or He’s not.

Subject Subject	Positive (statement)	Negative (negation)	base form of the verb base verb form	rest of sentence the rest of the offer
I	am going to	am not going to (I’m not)	paint	the kitchen tomorrow.
He/She/It	is going to	isn't (is not) going to
You/We/They	are going to	aren't (are not) going to

More examples:

— We are going to sing a song at the concert tomorrow - Tomorrow at the concert we will sing a song.
—My parents are going to buy new furniture – My parents are going to buy new furniture.
-I' m not going to Los Angeles for the summer holidays – I will not go to Los Angeles for the summer holidays.

Interrogative form be going to - General question

Interrogative sentences begin with (am, is, are) or (isn’t, aren’t for negative questions), then choose the subject, followed by the phrase + base form of the verb.

The verb To be	Subject Subject	Turnover going to + verb (verb)	rest of sentence the rest of the offer
Am	I	going to see	the dentist tomorrow?
Is/Isn't	he/she/it
Are/Aren't	you/we/they

Examples:

— Is she going to have another baby? Oh boy, she is crazy – Will she have another child? God, she's crazy.
— Your car is very dirty. Is your son going to wash is it this afternoon? – Your car is very dirty. Is your son going to wash it?

Special question

Wh-questions are questions that require additional information in your answers.
Question words: what, where, when, which, why, who, how, how many, how much.
To form a special question, start the sentence with a question word, then add the desired, subject, phrase and infinitive.

Wh-word Question word	The verb to be Verb to be	Subject	Turn going to + verb (verb)	rest of sentence
Why	am	I	going to watch	the interview with the Queen?
	is / Isn't	he/she/it
	are/ aren't	you/we/they

Examples:

— Why isn't he going to buy that computer? – Why doesn’t he buy himself a computer?
— What are you going to do tonight? – What are you going to do tonight?

Uses of be going to

After you have learned how to construct sentences, let's see in what cases you can use our expression today.

1. Actions that must be completed in the near future.

Let's look at some examples:

—She' s going to visit her sister tomorrow - Tomorrow she is going to visit her sister.
—Chris is going to take a few days off next week – Chris is going to take a few days off next week.
-I am going to buy a new car tomorrow – I’m going to buy new car Tomorrow.

2. Planned actions or intentions.

- We've decided. We are going to get married - We decided. We're going to get married.
-I' m going to meet my husband in town – I’m going to meet my husband in the city.
- No is going to be promoted - He will be promoted. (The boss has already decided so).

3. Obvious actions that will happen in the near future:

- Look at the sky! The clouds are so dark! It is going to rain - Look at the sky! The clouds are so dark. It will rain.
- Look out! That dog is going to bite you! - Be careful! This dog will bite you!
- Look at the sun! It' s going to be a wonderful day – Look at the sun! Today will be a wonderful day.

4. The design can be used when we order.

(Parent to child)
— You are going to clean up that mess right now! – You will clean up this mess right now!

In such cases, you can use and.
- I'm sorry, you are not taking my iPad.

5. We use phrases with such words as markers - in one year, tomorrow, next week, etc.

— We are going to fly to Washington next week– We will fly to Washington next week.
— They are going to have a picnic tomorrow They are going to have a picnic tomorrow.

There are also phrases in English be about to, to be on the point of is translated into Russian exactly the same as the expression be going to(getting ready to do something). Be about to is used when something will happen in the near future. To be on the point of- literary expression.

— Researchers say they are on the point of discovering a new anti-wrinkles cream – Researchers say they are on the verge of discovering a new anti-wrinkles cream.
— The parents are about to arrive - Parents are about to arrive.

In English, with the words go and come, we use , rather than “be going to”.

Example:

— She is going to Costa Rica next month Rather than She is going to go…

You need to rest and relax a little. Watch a video of how native speakers use turnover be going to.

Was going to – Past form

Was going to expresses unfulfilled agreements or plans in the past, or actions that one intended to do but failed.
Example:

— My first few days in the city were so unpleasant that I was going to move straight back home – My first few days in the city were so unpleasant that I was considering moving back home.
-I was going to quit my job and leave town forever – I was going to quit my job and leave the city forever.

What does “gonna” mean?

When native speakers speak quickly, they often use the shortened form “gonna” instead of the correct form.

For example:

Ralph is dirty. I'm gonna wash him.

It means: I'm going to wash him.

IN interrogative sentences, are omitted with second person singular(you) in both first and second person plural(we, you).

Let's look at some more examples:

— Be careful, you're gonna hit the wall - Be careful, you'll hit the wall.
—She's gonna faint- She will faint.
— What we gonna do now? - What do we do now?
- I'm gonna to Manchester tomorrow - I'm going to go to Manchester tomorrow.
— He's gonna work until late tomorrow - Tomorrow he will work late.
- What's she gonna wear on her birthday party? – What is she going to wear for her birthday?
—Which skirt you gonna wear for the party tonight? – What skirt will you wear to the party today?

This shortened form is found very often in informal conversation, for example, with friends. It is not necessary to use these expressions in your speech, but it is very important to recognize them when communicating with native speakers.

But be careful when you use – “ gonna" If you are at an interview or other official event, do not use this form.
But still " gonna” occurs quite often. There are a lot of such abbreviations in English. For example, " Dunno" - it means " I don't know”. “Wanna” – “I want to”.
The contractions Gotta, wanna and gonna have been used regularly in headlines or popular songs since the 1950s or even earlier.

Difference between Future Simple To be going to

As you can see, both sentences express almost the same idea.

To express the same idea, you can use both and be going to. In some cases there is a difference in meaning.

Tense is often used with verbs of motion.

— Are they coming home?

The present continuous tense is mainly used to talk about personal agreements and planned plans. The expression Be going to can also be used to express the same idea; however, it places additional emphasis on intention.

-I' m going to get a new job - I'm going to find a new job. (I intend to find a new job)
-I' m getting a new job - I will have a new job. (This has already been decided/arranged. The emphasis here is on agreement).

-I' m visiting grandparents tomorrow – (Here the emphasis is on an already existing agreement).
-I' m going to ask her to stop borrowing my clothes - I will ask her to stop taking my things. (Speaker's intention).

Usually not used when we are talking about things that we cannot control.

Example:

- Look out! The ladder is going to fall.
- It' s going to snow.

The expression Be going to is used only for future events. can also be used for actions that are happening right now.

To be going to Exercises on the topic covered.

Let's begin exercises on the topic covered and consolidate the material. We invite you to do interesting exercises yourself with translation into English and take online testing.

Exercise 1. Translate the sentences into English using the correct tenses you learned in this article.

1. He is going to clean his room.
2. We are going to hang pictures on the walls.
3.Is Sarah going to watch the football match tonight?
4. They will buy a new carpet.
5. Look! It is snowing!
6. We rent a parking space.
7. Is she going to wear a red dress?
8. We will plant trees.
9. My mother will turn 45 next week.
10. Where are they going to sleep?
11. We will go to London.
12. Maria, I love you so much. Will you marry me?
13. I'm not going to sing at the concert tonight.
14. I'm not entirely sure yet, but we'll probably move to Liverpool.
15. Now that he has moved to a big house, he is going to make a swimming pool in his garden. He saved for this for months.
16. Are you going to play chess today?
17. I think he will become a good doctor.
18. You will regret this!
19. Back! The bomb is about to explode.
20. My car won't start.

The phrase “to be going to do something” is very common in English colloquial speech. However, you need to be able to use it correctly, which is not always easy, since in Russian it does not quite correspond to the future tense (Future Simple) and at the same time it cannot always be translated as “I’m going to.”

We tend to constantly use the Future Simple instead of the “to be going” construction, which is quite rude speech error from the point of view of a native speaker. This is due to the fact that many of us are used to reading English rather than speaking it. The correct use of this construction is achieved, for the most part, by constant conversational practice with native speakers, from whose lips you will even hear the colloquial version of “I’m gonna + do something.” Remember that this option should not be used in formal situations!

So, the expression “to be going to do something” is very specific and only applies to those situations when we are planning in advance or are going to do something in the near future.

In use, only the verb “to be” changes; the rest of the construction remains unchanged.

I am going to call you: I am going to call you.
She is going to mail me: She is going to write me an email.
We are going to read this book: We are going to read this book.

It should be remembered that we do not use the verbs “go” and “come” after to be going to; we cannot say “I am going to go” or “I am going to come” in the meaning of verbs of motion.

In the past tense, the construction "to be going to" is used to express an action that was not performed for some reason:

I was going to learn Italian, but then I started to learn Spanish: I was going to learn Italian, but then I started learning Spanish.

It is worth paying attention to the difference between the Future Simple, Present Continuous and the expression “to be going to”:

1. If we use the construction “to be going to,” then we want to emphasize that we already have a pre-planned intention to carry out an action in the future. The Future Simple (I will do) tense conveys the intention to do something, but without firm certainty, and also has the meaning of the intention or decision that arose at the time of the conversation.

I’m going to buy bread: I’m going to buy bread.
I’ll buy some bread tomorrow: I’ll buy bread tomorrow.

2. If we use the Present Continuous, then we necessarily mean the presence of a preliminary agreement about something (an appointed time, for example), while “to be going to” means that we have decided to do something:

I am meeting him tomorrow: I am meeting him tomorrow (We agreed).

Finally, the expression “to be going to”, in addition to the meaning of a planned action, has another meaning - a high probability that some event or action will occur; sometimes it occurs for reasons or signs that are obvious to the speaker:

Look at those black clouds! It is going to rain! Look at those black clouds! It will be raining!

Now let’s see how our teacher Guy explains the use of the “to be going to” construction. Enjoy watching!

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