Guide to the Future with "be going to" – TOEIC® Preparation

The "be going to" construction is a fundamental structure in English for expressing future events or actions that will take place later. This verb form is particularly frequent in the professional contexts tested in the TOEIC®.

Grammatical Construction of “be going to”

Here is the structure to master for building sentences in the future with "be going to," according to the three main forms:

Sentence Type	Structure	Examples
Affirmative	Subject + be + going to + base verb	I am going to work late tonight. (Je vais travailler tard ce soir.) She is going to attend the conference. (Elle va assister à la conférence.) We are going to finish the project. (Nous allons terminer le projet.)
Negative	Subject + be + not + going to + base verb	I am not going to accept this offer. (Je ne vais pas accepter cette offre.) He is not going to resign. (Il ne va pas démissionner.) They are not going to participate. (Ils ne vont pas participer.)
Interrogative	Be + subject + going to + base verb ?	Are you going to submit the report? (Vas-tu soumettre le rapport ?) Is she going to call back? (Va-t-elle rappeler ?) Are we going to meet tomorrow? (Allons-nous nous rencontrer demain ?)

Uses and Contexts for “be going to”

This verbal structure is used in several distinct situations that are essential to differentiate for the TOEIC®:

A. Expressing Intentions and Planned Projects

When a decision has already been made regarding a future action, "be going to" is used. This construction emphasizes that the intention is already formed and the project is established.

She is going to launch her own business next year. (Elle va créer sa propre entreprise l'année prochaine.)
We are going to relocate our headquarters in September. (Nous allons déménager notre siège social en septembre.)
Are you going to apply for the promotion? (Vas-tu postuler pour la promotion ?)

B. Formulating Predictions Based on Clues

When observable elements or concrete signs clearly indicate that an event is going to happen, "be going to" is used to express this logical anticipation. These clues constitute visible evidence that makes the prediction almost certain.

Look at those dark clouds and the humidity. It is going to storm. (Regarde ces nuages noirs et l'humidité. Il va y avoir un orage.)
The company's stock is falling rapidly. It is going to lose investors. (L'action de l'entreprise chute rapidement. Elle va perdre des investisseurs.)
His presentation is poorly prepared. He is going to struggle during the meeting. (Sa présentation est mal préparée. Il va avoir des difficultés pendant la réunion.)

C. Talking About Imminent Events

The "be going to" construction is used to refer to actions about to happen, sometimes within a very short timeframe (a few minutes or hours). This usage emphasizes the temporal proximity of the event.

The conference call is going to begin in five minutes. (La téléconférence va commencer dans cinq minutes.)
The announcement is going to be made shortly. (L'annonce va être faite sous peu.)

The expression "be about to" can also be used in this context of imminence. This phrasing insists even more strongly on the immediate nature of the action than "be going to".

The CEO is about to enter the boardroom. (Le PDG est sur le point d'entrer dans la salle de réunion.)
They are about to sign the contract. (Ils s'apprêtent à signer le contrat.)
The deadline is about to expire, submit your documents now! (La date limite est sur le point d'expirer, soumets tes documents maintenant !)

D. Distinction Between « will » and « be going to »

These two structures express the future but in different contexts:

"Be going to" is used for established plans or predictions based on observable evidence.
- The team is going to present the quarterly results tomorrow. (L'équipe va présenter les résultats trimestriels demain.)
"Will" is rather used for decisions made at the moment of speaking, spontaneous offers, or predictions without concrete clues.
- The market will probably recover next quarter. (Le marché se rétablira probablement le trimestre prochain.)

As a general rule, "be going to" refers to a near or planned future, whereas "will" evokes more of a more distant or hypothetical future.

I am going to review the contract this afternoon. (Je vais réviser le contrat cet après-midi.)
I will review all our contracts next quarter. (Je réviserai tous nos contrats le trimestre prochain.)

Summary

The "be going to" construction represents an essential verb form for expressing the future in English and is a recurring element in TOEIC® questions. However, other time structures exist for talking about the future and also deserve your attention. Here are complementary resources to master all future forms:

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