Common mistakes
Will or going to: decisions, plans, and predictions
Sign in to saveYour phone rings while you are cooking. You decide at that moment: I'll answer it. Later, you tell a friend about a plan you made yesterday: I'm going to call the bank after work. Both sentences refer to the future, but the speaker makes a different choice about when the decision happened.
Choose will or be going to for a decision made now, an earlier plan, a prediction, or a prediction based on present evidence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I am going to call the bank after work. /aɪ əm ˈɡəʊ.ɪŋ tə kɔːl ðə bæŋk ˈɑːf.tə wɜːk/
The short answer
Use will for a decision made now: The doorbell is ringing. I'll get it. Use be going to for a prior plan: I'm going to visit my cousin this weekend. For predictions, will often states what you think, while be going to often points to present evidence.
Look at those dark clouds. It is going to rain.
Why it works: The clouds are present evidence for the prediction.
5 more examples
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The kettle is boiling. I will make the tea.
The speaker decides after noticing the kettle, so will sounds natural.
Not this:I
am going to make teaafter the meeting. What changes: This sounds like an intention that existed before the speaker said it. -
We are going to repaint the kitchen in October.
The month and the activity suggest an arrangement or plan already considered.
Not this:The kitchen looks tired. We
will repaintit one day. What changes: This is a general decision or promise, without a stated prior plan. -
I think the train will be late tonight.
The speaker gives an opinion about the future and does not mention visible evidence.
Not this:The departure board shows a delay. The train
is going to be late. What changes: The display provides evidence that supports the prediction. -
Be careful with that glass. It is going to fall.
The speaker can see that the glass is unstable now.
Not this:I think the glass
will fallif the table moves again. What changes: This prediction is conditional and based on the speaker's judgment. -
I will carry that box for you.
Will is common when you offer help at the moment of speaking.
Not this:I
am going to carrythe boxes upstairs after lunch. What changes: The speaker describes a planned task rather than a new offer.
Read the full guide
Before you choose a future form, ask what is happening in the speaker's mind. Did the speaker decide right now? Was there already a plan? Is this only a belief about the future, or can the speaker point to evidence? That question is more useful than memorizing a long list of rules.
Decide what the speaker means first
Both forms can point forward in time, so the word future is not enough to choose between them. Think about the situation that exists before the sentence. A new response usually takes will. An intention already made usually takes be going to.
The lights have gone out. I will find a torch.
The speaker chooses the action after the lights go out. This is a decision made now.
I am going to buy a torch when the shops open.
This sentence describes an intention. The speaker has already decided what to buy.
Your colleague says, I cannot lift this table alone. Which response shows a new offer: I will help you or I am going to help you?
Use I will help you. The offer is made in response to what the colleague has just said.
Use will for decisions, offers, and promises
Use will when you make a decision while speaking. It is also common for offers and promises because those actions begin with the current conversation. The decision may be small, such as answering a phone, or more serious, such as promising to send a document.
I forgot my notebook. I will take notes on my phone.
The speaker reacts to remembering the missing notebook.
Do not worry. I will send the file before noon.
This is a promise to the listener.
Complete the offer: Those bags look heavy. I ____ carry one for you.
Use will: I will carry one for you. The speaker offers help at that moment.
Use going to for intentions already made
Use be going to when the speaker had an intention before the moment of speaking. The plan does not have to be formal or fixed. It can be a personal decision, but the speaker is reporting an existing plan instead of making it now.
Rina is going to apply for a new role next month.
Rina has an intention for next month. The sentence does not show her making the decision now.
We are going to cook at home on Friday.
The plan existed before this conversation, even if it is a simple plan.
Choose the correct form: I have already chosen a course. I ____ start it in January.
Use am going to start. Already chosen shows that the intention exists before the speaker says the sentence.
Separate an opinion from visible evidence
For a prediction, will often introduces what the speaker thinks will happen. Be going to is especially natural when something in the present makes the result seem clear. The evidence can be something visible, a known fact, or a situation already developing.
I think Nabil will enjoy the course.
This is the speaker's opinion about Nabil's future experience.
Nabil has read every page of the course guide. He is going to enjoy the course.
The speaker gives present evidence for the prediction.
Choose the natural prediction: Look at the water on the floor. Someone will slip, or Someone is going to slip?
Someone is going to slip is natural because the wet floor is present evidence of the likely result.
Build each future form accurately
After will, use the base verb without to. After be going to, use am, is, or are, then going to and the base verb. Do not add another future marker inside these patterns.
She will call the supplier tomorrow.
Call is the base verb after will.
She is going to call the supplier tomorrow.
Is agrees with she, and call remains the base verb after going to.
Correct this sentence: They going to will arrive late.
Write either They are going to arrive late or They will arrive late. Do not combine the two future patterns.
Before you go
Remember this
Use will for a decision, offer, or promise made now, and for many opinion-based predictions. Use be going to for an earlier intention and for a prediction supported by present evidence. Then check the form: will plus base verb, or am, is, or are going to plus base verb.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Will or going to: decisions, plans, and predictions"
What is the main difference between will and going to?
Use will for a decision made as you speak, an offer, a promise, or many opinion-based predictions. Use be going to for an intention that already exists or a prediction supported by present evidence. For example, I will answer it responds to a ringing phone, while I am going to call the bank reports an earlier plan.
The kettle is boiling. I will make the tea.
Can I use will for a plan?
Yes, will can state a future plan, especially when you simply report it. Going to often makes the prior intention clearer. Compare We will repaint the kitchen with We are going to repaint the kitchen in October, where the month makes the existing plan more visible.
I am going to make tea after the meeting.
When should I use going to for a prediction?
Use be going to when you can point to evidence in the current situation. Look at those dark clouds. It is going to rain connects the prediction to what the speaker can see now.
We are going to repaint the kitchen in October.
Why is I will going to call incorrect?
Will and be going to are separate future patterns. Use I will call or I am going to call. Both forms take the base verb call, but they use different words before it.
The kitchen looks tired. We will repaint it one day.
Is going to only for formal plans?
No. Be going to can describe a simple personal intention as well as a formal arrangement. We are going to cook at home on Friday is an existing plan even if nobody has made a reservation or written it down.
I think the train will be late tonight.