English grammar: Will and going to

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will & going to

Affirmative
I will play
You will play
He/she/it will play
We will play
You will play (plural)
They will play

Negative
I will not play
You will not play
He/she/it will not play
We will not play
You will not play
They will not play

Question
Will I play?
Will you play?
Will he/she/it play?
Will we play?
Will you play?
Will they play?

Affirmative
I am going to play
You are going to play
He/she/it is going to play
We are going to play
You are going to play
They are going to play

Negative
I am not going to play
You are not going to play
He/she/it is not going to play
We are not going to play
You are not going to play
They are not going to play

Question
Am I going to play?
Are you going to play?
Is he/she/it going to play?
Are we going to play?
Are you going to play?
Are they going to play?

We use will to give or ask for information or facts about the future.
Her parents will be here in about an hour.
All her friends will come to her wedding.

We use will for plans or decisions made at the time of speaking.
"We need some paper for the photocopier." "Okay, I'll go and get some."
"What would you like to eat?" "I'll have a pizza please."

We use will to predict the future.
I think it will rain tomorrow.
Al Pacino will win the award for Best Actor.
Do you think Brazil will win the World Cup?

We use will to predict the present.
Don't phone her now, she'll be busy.

We use will to offer to do something.
I'll take you to the airport tomorrow.
That suitcase looks heavy, I'll carry it for you.

We use will to agree to do something.
Okay, I'll come with you

We use will to promise to do something.
I promise I won't tell anyone you broke the window

We use will to make requests (or give orders).
Will you open the door for me please?
Will you marry me?
Will you shut up please?

We use will to refuse to do something or talk about refusals.
No, I won't cook your dinner, you can cook it yourself.
I've asked him but he won't do it.

We use going to for plans or decisions made before speaking.
Is John coming home soon? - Yes, I'm going to meet him at the airport tomorrow.
I'm going to watch TV in a minute, because my favourite programme is on.

We use going to to predict the future based on present evidence.
Look at the sky. It's going to rain soon.
Germany have just scored. England are going to lose again.

See also  Future continuous  |  Future perfect
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