Introduction

When we speak about the future in English, one of the most common and useful structures is “going to.” At A1 level, this form helps you talk about plans, intentions, and decisions that you have already made. It is simple, practical, and very common in everyday conversations.

In this lesson, I will guide you step by step. We will see how to form affirmative sentences, negative sentences, and questions with “going to.” You will also learn when to use it and how to avoid common mistakes.

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit, you will be able to use “going to” correctly in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms. You will understand how to use it to talk about future plans and intentions. You will also be able to ask and answer simple questions about the future.

1. When Do We Use “Going to”?

We use “going to” to talk about plans and intentions.
When you have already decided to do something in the future, you use “going to.” The decision is made before you speak.

For example: “I am going to study tonight.” This means I have already decided to study.

Another example: “She is going to visit her grandmother tomorrow.” The plan already exists.

We often use time expressions like tonight, tomorrow, next week, or this weekend with “going to.”

2. Affirmative Form

The structure of the affirmative form is simple:

Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb.

Remember that “going to” is always followed by the base form of the verb.

3. Negative Form

To form the negative, we simply add “not” after the verb “to be.”

Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base verb.

For example: “I am not going to watch TV tonight.” Or: “They are not going to come to the party.”

In spoken English, we usually use contractions:

“I’m not going to…”
“He isn’t going to…”
“They aren’t going to…”

4. Questions with “Going to”

To make questions, invert the verb “to be” and the subject.
The structure becomes:

Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb?

For example: “Are you going to study tonight?”

“Is she going to travel next month?”

In short answers, we use:

“Yes, I am.” / “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, she is.” / “No, she isn’t.”

5. Common Mistakes

Do not forget the verb “to be.”
A common mistake is saying: “I going to study.” This is incorrect. You must include “am,” “is,” or “are.”

Another common mistake is using the -ing form after “going to.” We say: “I am going to eat,” not “I am going to eating.”

Practice Exercises

Complete the sentences using “going to” in the correct form.
Use the affirmative, negative, or question form.