How to talk about the future in English with ‘will’ vs. ‘going to’?

There are many ways to talk about the future in English. The two most common ways, though, are:

• using the auxiliaryNo definition set for auxiliaryLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. will(sometimes called the “simple future”) → to make a plan at the moment you are speaking

  We will come for dinner.

• using the expression going to → for a plan that existed before you spoke

  We are going to come for dinner.

In this post, we’ll look more closely at these two ways to express the future, and we’ll also talk about how to use will and going to to form other future tenses, like the future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.

Let’s look into my crystal ball 🔮 and find out what the future holds for you as you learn the difference between these two ways to talk about the future!

In the future tense with will, follow this rule:

Let’s first look more closely at how to form the future with will in different kinds of sentences, then we’ll come back to exactly when to use this form of the future.

When to use ‘will’ to talk about the future?

We use will when we are making a decision about the future.

English speakers began using will to talk about the future way back in the 8th century! The word will comes from an Old English word that meant “to wish” or “to be determined.” So saying I will go in the 8th century meant “I want to go.”

Let’s look at how this carries into modern English!

Using ‘will’ to make a future plan

When you make a future sentence using will, you are usually making a plan about a future action. Before you speak, there is no plan, but you make the plan at the moment of speaking.

Look at this example:

Jill and Mike plan a party

Jill:

Jimmy’s birthday party is this weekend.

Mike:

Yes, I know. What do we need to do?

Jill:

Well, someone has to order the cake and pick it up.

Mike:

That’s easy, I’ll call the bakery this morning.

Jill:

Okay, and I’ll make the guest list.

Mike:

Don’t forget Aunt Jessie. She’ll want to come!

Jill:

And all of Jimmy’s school friends, they’ll bring presents. We’ll tell them no more than $20 each.

Mike:

Oh, and I’ll buy some decorations. How about balloons and streamers?

Jill:

Don’t forget that we will need paper plates and cups!

Mike:

I won’t forget. I’ll buy those at the party store too.

Because they are making plans or volunteering to do something at the same time they are speaking, they use will to talk about the future.

Tip

Even though we mostly use will when we are making a plan, it is not actually wrong to use it in other situations, but it may sound a little strange or unusual.

Using ‘will’ to show determination

We sometimes use will to show we have really and fully decided to carry out a plan that already exists. In this case, we are using will to insist (or emphasize) that we now really think that we have decided to do something:

I WILL finish the report before Monday!

→ Put emphasis on will when you say this!

Now, let’s talk about the other very common way to talk about the future: using going to.

Here’s how to form the future with going to in English:

Notice that the verb be changes according to the subject of the sentence. As a reminder:

• am → I

• are → you, we, they, a pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. noun

• is → he, she, it, a singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. noun

As usual, these forms of the word be can be shortened:

• am → 'm: I’m going to…

• are → 're: they're going to…

• is → 's: she's going to…

Let’s start by talking about how to talk about the future with going to, and then we’ll talk about when to use this form of the future tense.

When to talk about the future using ‘going to’?

We use going to to talk about the future that is already certain, often because we have already made plans about something we are going to do in the future before we speak about it.

Let's see an example:

Patty has plans for Mary’s visit

I’m so excited! My friend Mary is going to visit me this weekend from Buffalo! She’s never been in New York City, so I planned a lot of things to do.

First, we are going to walk in Central Park. It’s beautiful in the spring and I think she is going to like seeing the Shakespeare theater.

We’re not going to go to the zoo because Mary doesn’t like zoos very much.

I’m going to take her to a Broadway musical. We both love musicals, so that is going to be really fun for us. She isn’t going to know about this, it’s a special surprise.

We are also going to eat in an Indian restaurant. She likes sushi, but I’m not going to take her to eat that, I hate sushi!

We aren’t going to do the regular tourist things. We aren’t going to visit the Empire State Building or the Rockefeller Center.

I think Mary is going to want to see all the shops on Fifth Avenue instead; she is crazy about shopping.

Mary is going to be in New York for three days and I’m sure she is going to remember this visit for many years!

Sounds like Patty and Mary are going to have a good time! As you can see, Patty has everything planned about Mary’s visit before she tells us about it!

Some of her plans might not happen (for example, Mary might not like the Shakespeare theater), but because Patty has a plan, she still uses the future with going to.

As we described above, you can use will and going to before other auxiliary verbs to form several different “future tenses”: the future continuous, the future perfect, and the future perfect continuous.

Here is how and when to use them:

• The future continuous

  will / be going

  (to) be

  present participle

  (root + -ing)

  To describe an event in the future that will be in progress for some time, usually during another particular future event or moment:

  By the time we set up the camera, the lion will be eating the gazelle.
  By the time we set up the camera, the lion is going to be eating the gazelle.

  → At the future moment when the camera is set up, the lion will be in the middle of eating the gazelle.

• The future perfect

  will / be going

  (to) have

  past participle

  (root + -ed / irregular)

  To describe an event that will be finished before the time we reach another another future event or moment:

  By the time we set up the camera, the lion will have eaten the gazelle.
  By the time we set up the camera, the lion is going to have eaten the gazelle.

  → At the future moment when the camera is set up, the lion will be finished eating the gazelle.

• The future perfect continuous

  will / be going

  (to) have been

  past participle

  (root + -ed / irregular)

  To describe an event that will already be started before the time we reach another particular future event or moment but will not be finished yet.

  By the time we set up the camera, the lion will have been eating the gazelle for ten minutes already.
  By the time we set up the camera, the lion is going to have been eating the gazelle for ten minutes already.

  → At the future moment when the camera is set up, the lion will already be eating the gazelle, but will not be finished eating it.

Check out our post on the perfect continuous tenses in English to better understand what makes the future perfect continuous different from the other two!

Here’s what you should remember from this post:

• The future with will → will + root

• The future with going to → am/are/is + going to + root

• Use will to talk about the future when you don’t have previous plans and you are deciding as you speak.

• Use going to to talk about the future when you already have a plan.

• Both will and going to can come before other auxiliary verbs to create the future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.

Do you want to know what your future will be? Why not check out our activities to practice the English future tense with will and going to! You might just find out!