Be going to: forms, plans and predictions

Make the form

Use am, is or are before going to. Then use the base verb: the form without to, -s or -ing, such as read, open, be or have.

He and it use is, like she. Use are with they, as with we. Full forms are also possible: I am, you are, she is. Put not after be: He is not going to sell it. They are not going to sell it. You can shorten these to he's not / he isn't and they're not / they aren't. With I, use I'm not.

Keep going to unchanged. Change be to match the subject, not going: My brother is going to help. My brothers are going to help. Do not use do or does to make the negative or question in this pattern.

Questions and short answers

To ask a yes/no question, put am, is or are before the subject. In a short answer, repeat the form of be, not going to.

You can also say No, he's not or No, they're not. Do not end a positive short answer with a contraction: say Yes, he is, not Yes, he's. The person changes when necessary: Are you...? can be answered with I am.

Put a question word before be: Where are you going to park? When is the show going to start? If who is the subject, it comes first: Who is going to open the gate? See Subject and object questions.

Talk about plans and intentions

An intention is something you mean to do. Use be going to to tell someone about a decision you have already made.

• I'm going to learn to make bread during the holidays.
• We're going to replace the old carpet. We've chosen a new one.

The plan can be for soon or for a later time. A word such as tomorrow or next year can give the time, but you do not need a time phrase if the situation makes it clear.

A: Why have you brought those jars? B: I'm going to make some jam.

The negative says that you do not intend to do something. It does not have to mean that you cannot do it.

• I'm not going to paint the door. I like its colour.

Compare an earlier intention with a decision announced as you speak: I've ordered the wood. I'm going to build a shelf. But There's nowhere to put this. I'll build a shelf, then announces a decision now. This is a useful contrast, not a ban on will for all planned events. See Will or be going to?: decisions, plans and predictions.

Make a prediction

A prediction says what you expect to happen. Use be going to when the present situation gives you a reason for that belief. The reason can be something you see, hear or understand now.

• That shelf is bending. It's going to break under the weight.
• The team has practised every day. I think they're going to play well.

These sentences do not describe someone's plan. A shelf does not intend to break. The speaker uses what they know now to predict a result. The event need not happen immediately.

Predictions with be

After going to, you can use be plus an adjective or noun phrase.

• With all this traffic, it's going to be a long journey.
• The garden isn't going to be quiet while the builders are here.

You can say The glue isn't going to hold that heavy frame when its strength gives you a reason for this negative prediction.

Going to expresses the speaker's expectation, not a guarantee. Will can also make predictions. Going to draws attention to the present reason; the two forms can overlap. Do not choose between them only because a sentence contains tomorrow.

A plan is not always an arrangement

An arrangement involves things already organised, such as an agreed meeting. The present continuous can show this: I'm meeting the electrician at ten. Be going to can state your intention: I'm going to ask an electrician to check the wiring.

You can use be going to even when you have made arrangements. These are overlapping ways to describe the future, not separate boxes that never meet. BBC explicitly notes that both forms can be possible with little or no change in meaning. See Present continuous and present simple for the future.

Do not use the present continuous by itself for the prediction meaning above. The shelf is breaking describes a process in progress; The shelf is going to break predicts what happens next.

Going to a place or going to do something?

Going to plus a place can describe movement, using the present continuous of go. Going to plus a base verb is the future pattern on this page.

You can use go as the base verb after going to. We're going to go to the coast is grammatical. You can also say We're going to the coast when you describe that trip. The repeated go is not a grammar error.

Add an adverb

An adverb can add information about your plan or expectation. One position is after be and before going to.

• I'm never going to forget that view.
• They're probably going to need more chairs.

Not every adverb must go before going to. A wide range of adverbs can also come before the main verb: I'm going to briefly describe the route. This is a later extension, not a reason to move every adverb to that position. The adverb's meaning and the rest of the sentence matter.

Was going to and were going to

Use was or were instead of am, is or are when you look forward from a time in the past. The action was in the future at that past time.

• We knew the hall was going to be full, so we arrived early.

You can report an earlier plan: She said she was going to open a small cafe. This tells you what she intended then. It does not, by itself, tell you whether she opened it.

A following but-clause can explain that a plan changed.

• I was going to cycle home, but the front tyre was flat.
• They were going to camp, but they booked a room instead.

Do not define was going to as 'a plan that never happened'. Cambridge says the plan may have changed; EGP also records future-in-the-past and reporting without that necessary meaning. See The future in the past: was going to and would and Reported statements: tense changes and say or tell.

Recognise commands and informal gonna

Cambridge also records be going to in commands. You're going to put those tools away now can be a strong instruction from someone with authority, rather than a prediction or a plan the listener chose. Context gives it that force. This is a recognition use beyond the basic plans and predictions here.

In informal speech, you may hear gonna for going to before a verb: I'm gonna check the oven. Keep be: I'm gonna, she's gonna, they're gonna. This spelling represents the informal pronunciation, not a replacement for every to after go.

Oxford labels gonna informal and non-standard and advises against writing it except when copying speech. Cambridge mentions speech and song lyrics; BBC also recognises very informal written use. For ordinary course work, emails or other standard writing, use going to. Do not write gonna in the movement pattern going to the station.

What comes next

Compare Will and shall: forms, predictions, decisions and offers, Will or be going to?: decisions, plans and predictions and Present continuous and present simple for the future. For plans viewed from an earlier time, continue with The future in the past: was going to and would. See Future time clauses: when, as soon as, if and until for present forms after time words such as when and after.