Look at these examples to see how will, going to and the present continuous are used.
Oh great! That meeting after work's been cancelled. I'll go to that yoga class instead.
I'm going to try to visit my relatives in Australia this year.
The restaurant is reserved for 8. We're having a drink at Beale's first.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
We use different verb forms to talk about our plans for the future, depending on what kind of plan it is: a spontaneous plan, a pre-decided plan or an arrangement.
will
We use will to talk about spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking.
Oops, I forgot to phone Mum! I'll do it after dinner.
I can't decide what to wear tonight. I know! I'll wear my green shirt.
There's no milk. I'll buy some when I go to the shops.
going to
We use going to to talk about plans decided before the moment of speaking.
I'm going to phone Mum after dinner. I told her I'd call at 8 o'clock.
I'm going to wear my black dress tonight.
I'm going to go to the supermarket after work. What do we need?
Present continuous
We usually use the present continuous when the plan is an arrangement – already confirmed with at least one other person and we know the time and place.
I'm meeting Jane at 8 o'clock on Saturday.
We're having a party next Saturday. Would you like to come?
We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans.
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello Hamdy Ali,
If person A is asking about the possibility of meeting then it is clear that there were no plans before. Thus the answer represents a decision taken at the time of speaking. So now that we have explained that, can you can tell us which form is appropriate?
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lal,
The second sentence is fine.
The first sentence is not correct, however, unless it is part of a narrative (a story) which uses the present tense throughout - some authors employ this technique. You need the present continuous here, or a past simple if the bell has stopped ringing.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Bharati
I'd say it's not clear what the time reference is. Whether the clause refers to a present or future time, we use a present simple (or sometimes present perfect) verb form in a time clause beginning with 'when', which makes the exact time reference ambiguous.
The context would probably make this clear, though.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ardalan
In first conditional structures, 'will' + infinitive is the most common verb form, but others (such as 'be going to' + infinitive) are also possible.
So, you could say 'I'll get' or 'I'm going to get', though note that there is a slight difference in meaning. In the case of 'I'll get', the speaker is making the decision in the moment they say this. In contrast, 'I'm going to get' shows that the speaker already had this plan before making this statement.
In the case of the sentence in Grammar test 2 that you ask about, however, 'I'll get' would be strange because the speaker seems to have plans about the future. The fact that they don't yet have the pay rise suggests they already have plans and so 'I'm going to get' is a better choice than 'I'll get'.
Does that make sense? It's quite a subtle point and we're going to look into changing that question so that it's clearer. I'm sorry for any confusion that might have caused.
Best wishes
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team