Going to+Vb/future

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Going to+Vb/future
Message de kazan posté le 02-08-2019 à 12:49:36 (S | E | F)
Hi everyone,

I think I know the general rules governing the use of "to be going to+ BV" to express something in the future.
1) it's used to refer to something that's been planned before the conversation takes place.
2) You use it also to speak about things that you're sure will happen based on evidence ( the famous "look at those clouds" jumps to mind).

The thing that troubles me though is when people use it together with the adverb "now", such as in " look, I'm gonna go now = going to go now".
Textbooks say that decisions taken on the spur of the moment requires "will", such as "(I think), I'll buy you a drink". No plans before.

Oh, and one more question: in one of his posts, Gerondif wrote:
Moreover, how do you know it's going to be difficult in the future as it hasn't happened yet ?
Why would "will" not be used in that sentence?

Thanks a million to the one who'll be able to explain this to me.
Cheers,
Kaz

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Modifié par lucile83 le 02-08-2019 15:56

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 02-08-2019 à 16:09:09 (S | E)
Hello,
'Will' and 'be going to' may be used interchangeably in modern English. There's a slight difference between them in a few cases, but it won't be a mistake; everyone will understand what you mean.
Here is a link I have just found; I read it and think it is really worth reading ...Lien internet

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de traviskidd, postée le 02-08-2019 à 21:14:38 (S | E)
Hello, "I'm going to the beach next week" is not an example of "be going to" in the future sense, but rather the present continuous of the verb "go". Since the present continuous can also sometimes be used to talk about future events, the sentence is not wrong. But it's not an example of the future sense of "be going to". (If it had said "going to go" it would have been a good example.)
Strictly speaking, "will" and "be going to" are not interchangeable, but they are close enough in meaning that you will be understood no matter which one you use.
Of course "now" can refer to the immediate future (or past), and so is not incompatible with "will" or "be going to". (For example, "The doctor will see you now," or "The volcano is going to erupt any moment now.")
See you.

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Modifié par traviskidd le 02-08-2019 21:24
"I'm going to the movies" idem

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de kazan, postée le 03-08-2019 à 07:35:51 (S | E)
English is so... tricky. Sometimes, I realize that spending enough time in an English-spoken country is the only way to really improve and fully grasp the full scope of meanings/use of some words/tenses.
Anyway, I thank you. Both of you for your time.
Have a nice day,
Kaz

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 03-08-2019 à 08:04:36 (S | E)
Hello traviskidd,
If you read carefully you'll notice that the link I joined to my post refers to 'Will vs going to', not 'Will vs be going to'. That's why we can read examples of Will + going to + be going to.
We can also read that Going to is a prior plan, and Be going to is an evidence,a sign. Below the table you can read more examples.
Hope it is clear now.

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de traviskidd, postée le 03-08-2019 à 15:15:06 (S | E)
Hello lucile.

There is no "going to" vs. "be going to". If you say "I'm going to the movies tonight", you're simply using the verb "go" in the present continuous. It's no different than saying "I'm working late tonight." If you want to use "going to" in its future sense, you have to follow it with a verb ("I'm going to go to the movies", "I'm going to work late.") (Furthermore, "gonna" is said only when it replaces "going to" in its future sense. We never say ~~"I'm gonna the movies."~~)

See you.

P.S. to Kaz: Every language is tricky! It is in learning how it is tricky that you truly learn the language. (I mean, in what language other than French can the word for "person" be the same as the word for "nobody"? )

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 03-08-2019 à 15:35:23 (S | E)
Hello traviskidd,
Do you really think I can mix 'going to' with 'be going to'? It would be mean and ridiculous from you.
Here is another link ...Lien internet

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de traviskidd, postée le 03-08-2019 à 15:52:29 (S | E)
Hello lucile, I wouldn't have expected such a thing from you, but you wrote it yourself ("will" + "going to" + "be going to"). But there is just "will"+BV and "(be) going to"+BV. If you just write "going to" followed by a noun, then you're using the present continuous, which is a separate case. The chart in your first link doesn't recognize this; your new link does.

(And as I said, the present continuous can indeed be used to refer to future events, but it is not the same as "(be) going to" in its future sense.)

See you.

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 03-08-2019 à 16:37:58 (S | E)
...'the present continuous can indeed be used to refer to future events, but it is not the same as "(be) going to" in its future sense.'... of course I know that, we know that. What I can't understand is this argument.
Well, that's enough for today

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de flopy, postée le 03-08-2019 à 21:02:02 (S | E)
Hello. The second link says : "I'm going to go on holiday next week.
('I'll go on holiday next week' makes it sound like you've only just decided at that minute. Of course, this is possible, but normally we plan our holidays more in advance!)."

I do not understand why in the example above "will" can only mean that I decided it at that minute. If I planned weeks ago that I’m going to take time off, I’d say "I’ll be on vacation from 10th to 20th" or I could also say "I’ll be back in the office on Tuesday 20th". I have anticipated this and I’m using "will".
Why is it possible to use "will" for anticipated actions here and it is not according to the sentence in the link ?

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de willy, postée le 04-08-2019 à 10:31:47 (S | E)
Hello,
I read the link before reading the whole post and felt that the two examples "I'm going to the movies" should be replaced by: "I'm going to meet the new neighbour", for example.
"I'm going to the movies" is the answer to the question: "What are you doing tomorrow?". Both sentences are examples of the present continuous with a future meaning.
A present tense is used in French as well:
"Que fais-tu demain ?" "Je vais au cinema.".

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 04-08-2019 à 11:04:27 (S | E)
Hello,
On se croirait revenus au temps de la Bataille d'Hernany
Le plus important est que Kazan a eu sa réponse:
'Will' and 'be going to' may be used interchangeably in modern English.

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de willy, postée le 04-08-2019 à 11:39:12 (S | E)
A la différence que nos propos sont "modérés", dans les deux sens du terme !

Réponse : Going to+Vb/future de lucile83, postée le 04-08-2019 à 12:58:07 (S | E)
Hello willy ... That's a nice conclusion!

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