The Future with
going to

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Grammar Exercise 1 - When to Use & Structure

“Going to” Rules

Use cases of "going to"

When you use “going to” in a question, you’re asking if someone has a plan they already thought about. It’s not about stuff they just decided right now.

It’s about what they’ve been thinking about doing, like a secret plan they’ve planned!

Imagine you’re curious about your friend’s big plan for the weekend. You don’t just want to know what they might do. You want to know what they’ve already decided!
That’s when you use “going to”.

Examples:

“Is Mom going to make pancakes for breakfast?”

(You’re asking if Mom’s got a pancake plan in her head!)

or

“Are we going to play basketball in gym class?”

(You’re checking if the class has a basketball plan ready to roll!)

Not for Snap Decisions!

“Going to” questions aren’t for stuff someone just thought of right now.

If your friend suddenly says,
“I’m gonna run to the slide!” that’s a quick choice, not a plan. For those, you’d use “will” instead, like:

“Will you run to the slide?”
(Because it’s a spur-of-the-moment thing!)

But if your friend told you yesterday they want to play tag today, you ask:

“Are you going to play tag today?”

(Because it’s a plan they already made!)

Predictions

When you ask a “going to” question about predictions, you’re trying to figure out what someone thinks will happen next because of clues they see.

It’s like asking,

“Hey, based on what’s happening,
what’s your guess for the future?”

Imagine you’re looking at a stormy sky with big, dark clouds. You might ask your friend,

“Is it going to rain soon?”

because those clouds are a clue!
You’re asking if they predict rain based on what they see.

or

“Is it going to snow tonight?”

(You’re asking if someone thinks snow’s coming based on clues, like a chilly sky!)

You use “going to” questions when you or someone else is making a guess based on clues you can see right now. It’s like being a detective who spots hints and asks,

“What’s gonna happen next?”

Fixed Future Events (informal)

You use “going to” questions when you’re talking about stuff that’s already decided or set in stone, like a holiday or a canceled game, but in a fun, laid-back way.

It’s how you’d chat with your friends or family, not like reading a boring schedule.

Examples:

If you know there’s no school because of a holiday, you might ask,

“Are we going to have a day off on Monday?”

(It’s set, and you’re just double-checking the awesome news!)

or

If your soccer game got canceled, you could ask,

“Are we going to skip the game tomorrow?”

(The plan’s changed, and you’re asking to confirm it!)

Not for Scheduled Events

“Going to” questions are for informal, set plans, not super strict schedules like bus times or class timetables

For those, you use the present simple. Like, if you’re asking about a bus schedule, you say,

“Does the bus leave at 3?”

Not, “~~Is the bus going to leave at 3?~~”
because that’s an official timetable.

But for fun, fixed stuff like a class party or a day off, you ask with “going to”!

Like, “Is our class going to have a party on Friday?”