PE-27: Future with "be going to": Plans and Evidence
The future you already decided on, and the future you can see coming. Learn be going to — the closest thing English has to Uzbek's -moqchiman.
PE-27: Future with "be going to": Plans and Evidence
Yesterday you decided to study medicine. Today somebody asks about your future. You do not say "I'll study medicine" — that would sound like you just thought of it this second. You say "I'm going to study medicine." This structure carries one clear message: the decision already exists. It is also what you use when you can literally see the future coming.
In this lesson you will learn
- The form am / is / are + going to + base verb
- Its two jobs: prior plans, and predictions from present evidence
- How it differs from will in one sentence
- Why going to go is correct but rarely said
1. The picture: the decision is behind you
Red dot in the past: that is when you made up your mind. Blue dot in the future: that is when it will happen. Will has no red dot at all — the decision is being made as you speak.
We are going to visit our grandparents this weekend. We bought the tickets last week.
Bu hafta oxirida buvimlarnikiga bormoqchimiz. Chiptalarni oʻtgan hafta olganmiz.
The tickets prove the plan already existed — so going to, not will.
2. Job one: plans and intentions
Any decision you took before this conversation belongs here — from tonight's dinner to your whole career.
Sherbek is going to buy a new bike. He isn't going to spend all his money, though.
Sherbek yangi velosiped sotib olmoqchi. Lekin u butun pulini sarflamoqchi emas.
Negatives and questions follow to be, exactly as in PE-6 — there is no do/does anywhere:
- Negative: I'm not going to argue. She isn't going to come.
- Question: Are you going to tell him?
- Short answers: Yes, I am. / No, I'm not.
- Wh-: What are you going to do after school?
3. Job two: I can see it coming
The second job is a prediction — but not an opinion like will. This one is based on evidence you can see right now.
Look at those black clouds! It 's going to rain.
Anavi qora bulutlarga qara! Yomgʻir yogʻadi.
The clouds are the evidence. With I think it will rain you are only guessing.
going to — evidence in front of you
- He's driving too fast — he 's going to crash!
- She 's going to have a baby. (you can see)
will — opinion in your head
- I think he 'll drive more carefully next time.
- I'm sure they 'll be happy.
4. going to go
Grammatically I am going to go to the cinema is perfectly correct. But two "go"s in a row sound heavy, so English usually drops the second one when a place is mentioned:
I'm going to the cinema tonight. (= I'm going to go there)
Bugun kechqurun kinoga boraman.
5. Common mistakes
He going to buy a car.
He is going to buy a car. (the "be" is not optional)
I am going to studying medicine.
I am going to study medicine. (base verb after "to")
Do you going to come with us?
Are you going to come with us?
Look at the sky — I think it will rain in a minute.
Look at the sky — it's going to rain.
I will visit my aunt tomorrow. I bought a present yesterday.
I'm going to visit my aunt tomorrow. (the present proves it was planned)
Practice
1 Complete: Afsona ? (study) at the medical institute. She has already sent her documents.
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is going to study — the documents show the decision was made earlier.
2 Which is better, and why? Careful! You (a) will drop (b) are going to drop those plates.
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(b) are going to drop. You can see it happening — the plates are already sliding. That is evidence, not opinion.
3 Make it a question and a negative: They are going to move to Tashkent.
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Are they going to move to Tashkent? / They aren't going to move to Tashkent.
It behaves exactly like to be — no do, no will.
4 Translate: Men ertaga shifokorga bormoqchiman.
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I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow.
-moqchiman = an intention that already exists → going to.
5 Write two sentences about your plans for next summer.
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Model: Next summer I'm going to take an English course, and my family is going to travel to Bukhara.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Be going to...moqchi boʻlmoq
- Intentionniyat
- Planreja
- Evidencedalil, koʻrinib turgan belgi
- Predictionbashorat
- To decideqaror qilmoq
- To arguebahslashmoq
- To crashtoʻqnashmoq
- Careful!Ehtiyot boʻling!
- Gonna (informal)going to ning ogʻzaki shakli
🎯 Remember this
- am/is/are + going to + base verb — the "be" part is never optional.
- Job 1: a plan you already made (= Uzbek -moqchiman).
- Job 2: a prediction from evidence you can see right now.
- Questions and negatives follow to be, never do or will.
- gonna is speech only — never write it.