English Tenses · Talk about plans and intentions
Going to – Learn & Practise
“I’m going to study.” “She isn’t going to drive.” “Are you going to apply?” Talk about plans and predictions based on what you can see now.
100 questions · 10 per round · No sign-in needed
1. What is Going to?
Use am, is or are + going to + the base verb to talk about an intention or plan you have already decided on. We also use going to for a prediction based on present evidence.
A plan or intention
“I’m going to apply for a new job next week.” I have already decided to do this.
A prediction from evidence
“Look at those dark clouds. It’s going to rain.” The clouds are evidence now.
A result you can see coming
“Be careful! That glass is going to fall.” The situation now suggests what will happen.
2. Choose the correct form
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | am going to + base verb | I am going to study. |
| He / She / It / one person | is going to + base verb | She is going to study. |
| You / We / They / plural subjects | are going to + base verb | They are going to study. |
3. Positive, negative and question patterns
+ Positive
Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb
She is going to study English.
− Negative
Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base verb
She isn’t going to study English.
? Question
Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb?
Is she going to study English?
Choose am, is or are for the subject. Keep going to together, then use the base verb. Do not add -s, -ed or -ing to the main verb: “She is going to cook”, not “She is going to cooks”. Put not after am/is/are, and move am/is/are before the subject for a question.
4. Contractions
I am going to → I’m going to
She is going to → She’s going to
We are going to → We’re going to
is not going to → isn’t going to
are not going to → aren’t going to
“She’s not going to drive” and “She isn’t going to drive” are both correct.
5. Questions and short answers
Yes/No questions
“Are you going to apply?” → “Yes, I am.” / “No, I’m not.”
“Is he going to help?” → “Yes, he is.” / “No, he isn’t.”
“Are they going to join?” → “Yes, they are.” / “No, they aren’t.”
Repeat am, is or are. Do not finish a positive short answer with a contraction: “Yes, I am”, not “Yes, I’m”.
WH-questions
- What are you going to do at the weekend?
- Where is she going to stay?
- When are they going to start?
- How are you going to travel?
6. Spelling and verb forms
The main verb stays in its base form
study, cook, visit, go, be. “He is going to be late”, not “He is going to is late”.
The spelling of going to stays the same
Only am, is or are changes with the subject. Write going to as two words.
Going to go is correct
“We’re going to go by train.” The first going to shows the future plan; go is the action.
Informal speech
You may hear gonna in informal speech. Use going to in these written activities and in formal writing.
7. Time expressions and common mistakes
Tomorrow · tonight · next week · next month · this afternoon · at the weekend
Going to or Will?
“I’m going to cook tonight” usually presents a plan already decided. “The phone is ringing. I will answer it” presents a decision made now.
“It’s going to rain” can be a prediction based on visible clouds. Will is also used for predictions. In real conversations the meanings sometimes overlap; the context matters.
Future form or movement?
“I’m going to the library” describes going to a place. “I’m going to study” uses going to + a base verb to express an intention. The structure after going to helps you understand the meaning.
- “I going to study.” → I am going to study.
- “She are going to cook.” → She is going to cook.
- “They are going buy a car.” → They are going to buy a car.
- “He is going to works.” → He is going to work.
- “Do you are going to apply?” → Are you going to apply?
Audio uses your device’s English (UK) voice when available. No sound plays automatically.
8. Your practice space
Choose an activity. Each round has 10 questions. Type answers, choose an option or build a sentence. Read the feedback before moving on.
Full forms and standard contractions are accepted. Capital letters and final punctuation do not affect your score. Each answer is checked once per round; you can practise missed questions afterwards.
The final assessment draws from the practice bank. It is a learning check, not a qualification test.
Your round
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10. Print and practise
Use these questions for classwork or homework. The print version includes 20 questions followed by the answer key on a separate page. Use your print settings to save as PDF if you prefer.
View worksheet questions and answers
- Use going to: I ___ for a new job next week. (apply)
Answer: am going to apply - Use going to: We ___ our family at the weekend. (visit)
Answer: are going to visit - Use going to: You ___ a driving test next week. (take)
Answer: are going to take - Use going to: We ___ the kitchen next weekend. (paint)
Answer: are going to paint - Use going to: They ___ by train tomorrow. (travel)
Answer: are going to travel - Complete the going to negative: I ___ for a new job next week. (apply)
Answer: am not going to apply - Complete the going to negative: He ___ dinner tonight. (cook)
Answer: is not going to cook - Complete the going to negative: My children ___ a swimming class next month. (join)
Answer: are not going to join - Complete the going to negative: We ___ the kitchen next weekend. (paint)
Answer: are not going to paint - Complete the going to negative: The students ___ a presentation next week. (prepare)
Answer: are not going to prepare - Complete the question: ___ I going to apply for a new job next week?
Answer: Am - Complete the question: ___ he going to cook dinner tonight?
Answer: Is - Complete the question: ___ the nurse going to call the patient this afternoon?
Answer: Is - Build a going to question. Use all the words.
Words: weekend / next / kitchen / the / paint / to / going / we / Are
Answer: Are we going to paint the kitchen next weekend? - Build a going to question. Use all the words.
Words: Friday / on / tutor / your / meet / to / going / you / Are
Answer: Are you going to meet your tutor on Friday? - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: I am going to apply for a new job next week.
Answer: I am not going to apply for a new job next week. - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: They are going to move house next month.
Answer: They are not going to move house next month. - Make a yes/no question. Keep the same subject and details: He is going to buy a new bus pass tomorrow.
Answer: Is he going to buy a new bus pass tomorrow? - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: They are going buy a car next week.
Answer: They are going to buy a car next week. - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: They are going to travelled tomorrow.
Answer: They are going to travel tomorrow.
Keep practising
Try another activity, revisit a rule or use a grammar video to support your learning.
ESOLish · Going to
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Write your answers. Keep the same subject when changing sentences. Full forms and contractions are both correct.
Going to · Answer key
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