Will vs Going To

Differences Between Future Tenses

1. We use “going to” to talk about a planned activity for future.

For instance:

A: There is a good movie on TV tonight.
B: Yes. I know. I am going to watch it.

A: Why is Betty in a hurry?
B: Because she is going to meet her brother at the station at six.

2. We use “will” when we decide to do something at the time of speaking.

For instance :

A: What would you like to drink, sir?
B: I will have a glass of milk, please.

A: Oh, you have left the door open.
B: Have I? I will go and shut it.

3. We use “going to” for prediction in the near future. The speaker is sure because there are signs about it.

For instance :

She is standing at the edge of the cliff, she is going to fall.

A: What is the problem? There are strange noises in the lift.
B: I think the lift is going to break down .Let’s get out!

A: I feel cold.
B: Look at those black clouds. It is going to rain.

A: What is the matter with you?
B: I feel terrible. I think I am going to be ill.

4. We use “will” for prediction in the remote future

For instance :

A: How is he, doctor?
B: Don’t worry. He will get better.

A: The bridge is not so safe.
B: Yes. One day it will break down.

5. We use “will” for requests, invitations and offers.

For instance :

Will you shut the door, please? (Request)
Will you come to the cinema with me? (Invitation)
That bag looks very heavy. I will help you. (Offer)

6. We generally use “will” for prediction with the following verbs and phrases.

Believe , expect , hope , think , wonder , I’m sure , I’m afraid …etc

I believe he will pass the exam.

I hope he won’t leave us.
I am afraid he will fail the exam.

Do you think they will divorce?

7. We use “will” with the adverbs Perhaps, probably, certainly

We do not use going to in this case.

Perhaps they will support you in the election.
Jackson will probably go to London next year.

8. We use “will” to express promise, not going to

I will study medicine at university.
I will stop going to the casino.

9. We use “will” in a question tag after imperative, not going to.

Do it today, will you?
Don’t look at your friend’s paper, will you?

10. We use “will” to give an order or state our wishes, not be going to.

Will you turn on the lights?

11. We use “will” to express an action in necessity in the future, not be going to.

You will have to pay a fine if you don’t pay your tax on time.

12. We use “will” for threat.

Study hard or you will fail.
Give me all your money or you will die.

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For instance:A: There is a good movie on TV tonight.B: Yes. I know. I am going to watch it.A: Why is Betty in a hurry?B: Because she is going to meet her brother at the station at six.For instance :A: What would you like to drink, sir?B: I will have a glass of milk, please.A: Oh, you have left the door open.B: Have I? I will go and shut it.For instance :She is standing at the edge of the cliff, she is going to fall.A: What is the problem? There are strange noises in the lift.B: I think the lift is going to break down .Let’s get out!A: I feel cold.B: Look at those black clouds. It is going to rain.A: What is the matter with you?B: I feel terrible. I think I am going to be ill.For instance :A: How is he, doctor?B: Don’t worry. He will get better.A: The bridge is not so safe.B: Yes. One day it will break down.For instance :Will you shut the door, please? (Request)Will you come to the cinema with me? (Invitation)That bag looks very heavy. I will help you. (Offer)Believe , expect , hope , think , wonder , I’m sure , I’m afraid …etcI believe he will pass the exam.I hope he won’t leave us.I am afraid he will fail the exam.Do you think they will divorce?We do not use going to in this case.Perhaps they will support you in the election.Jackson will probably go to London next year.I will study medicine at university.I will stop going to the casino.Do it today, will you?Don’t look at your friend’s paper, will you?Will you turn on the lights?You will have to pay a fine if you don’t pay your tax on time.Study hard or you will fail.Give me all your money or you will die.

Will vs. going to! Learn the difference between will and going to in English with grammar rules, video, and example sentences. In this section, we are going to be looking at which times you will need to use ‘will’ and which times you will need to use ‘going to.’ This will make your speech and writing sound much more fluid and fluent.

Will vs. Going to

When talking about an event that is going to happen in the future, there is more than one possibility. Most often, you will use the phrases ‘will’ or ‘going to’ in order to refer to an upcoming event, but sometimes students of the English language can become confused over which one to use and when.

In English grammar, both “Will” and “Be Going to” are used to express future tense but they do not have the same meaning.

Will and Going to Similarity in Usage

• Both

  Will

  and

  Going to

  can be used for making future predictions without having a real difference in meaning.

Example:

I think it will be foggy tomorrow. = I think it is going to be foggy tomorrow.

Will and Going to Differences in Usage

• Will

  is used to express future actions decided at the moment of speaking while

  Going to

  describes future plans decided before the moment of speaking.

Examples:

I‘ll have salad now. (will)

I’m going to visit my aunt next Friday. (going to)

• Will

  is used to indicate a prediction based on personal opinions or experiences while

  going to

  is used to express a prediction based on present evidence.

Examples:

I think United will win the game. (will)

Look at those black clouds. It is going to rain. (going to)

• Will

  expresses a future fact;

  going to

  is used to describe something is about to happen.

Examples:

The sun will rise tomorrow. (will)

Get back! The bomb is going to explode. (going to)

• Will

  is used to make a promise, an offer, a threat or refusal.

Examples:

A promise:

I promise I won’t tell anyone you broke the window.

An offer:

I‘ll take you to the airport tomorrow.

A threat:

I‘ll tell your parents what you did.

A refusal:

No, I won’t cook your dinner, you can cook it yourself.

Will vs. Going to Chart | Pictures

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Will vs. Going to | Video

12 Verb Tenses in English

Learn all (12) tenses in English with useful grammar rules, examples and ESL worksheets.

Verb Tenses Chart