Which signal words go with the going-to future?
The going-to future pairs with intention markers like plan, intend and we've decided — the decision came before speaking — and with evidence markers like Look!, watch out and look at those clouds, which introduce predictions drawn from visible signs.
- Intention markers: plan, intend, we've decided, have agreed — the plan is older than the sentence.
- Evidence markers: Look!, watch out, look at those clouds, look at these numbers.
- Time words like tomorrow and next week work with both will and going to — they don't decide the form.
A2 · Signal Words · 10 minSignal words for the going-to future, taught signal by signal.
A structured ten-slide lesson for A2 learners. Hear the signal words in business context, meet the two signal families with a tutor, then practise them across six interactive drills before a final six-question quiz. The whole arc is under ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelA2 · Elementary
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsGrammar, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What signal words do for the going-to future
The going-to future is the English future form for plans that already exist and for predictions based on visible signs. It is formed with am, is or are plus going to plus the base form of the verb: I'm going to call, she's going to present, they're going to launch. Here is what makes this lesson special: the most important signal words are not time expressions at all. They come in two families. Intention markers such as plan, intend and we've decided tell you the decision was made before you started speaking — the plan is older than the sentence. Evidence markers such as Look!, watch out and look at those clouds show that a prediction rests on something you can see at this very moment. Time words like tomorrow or next week help far less, because they work with several future forms. Watch for the decision and the evidence instead of the clock, and the going-to future almost picks itself.
02 / 06
Group 1 — Intention markers: plan, intend, we've decided
The first family announces plans. Verbs and phrases like plan, intend, have decided and have agreed tell you the decision existed before the conversation started. "We've decided — we're going to open an office in Hamburg." "I intend to grow the team, so we're going to hire two developers." Time expressions such as next week, next month or this quarter also belong in this group — but only when a prearranged plan sits behind them: "I'm going to meet the supplier next week" works because the appointment is already agreed. The test is always the same: could you add "that's already settled" to the sentence without it sounding odd? Then going to is the natural choice. Typical business situations are product launches ("We're going to launch in March"), hiring decisions, budget planning and everything that was decided in an earlier meeting. The older the decision, the more clearly the sentence points to going to.
03 / 06
Group 2 — Evidence markers: Look!, watch out, look at those clouds
The second family has nothing to do with plans — it points at evidence. Expressions like Look!, look at those clouds, look at these numbers and watch out signal that the speaker can see something right now and is drawing a prediction from it. Almost everyone knows the textbook example: "Look at those clouds — it's going to rain." Nobody planned the rain, but the clouds are visible, and that visible basis is exactly what points to going to. In the office the pattern works identically: "Look at these numbers — we're going to miss the budget this quarter." The figures are on the table, the direction is plain to see, so going to. Warnings belong here too: "Watch out — you're going to spill your coffee!" The cup is already tipping. Remember the logic rather than the word list: whenever your prediction rests on something you can see, hear or measure right now, going to is the natural choice — no time expression required.
04 / 06
Going to or will? Same time words, different signals
Here sits the biggest source of confusion: tomorrow, next week and soon appear with both future forms. "I'll call him tomorrow" is correct — and so is "I'm going to call him tomorrow." The time word decides nothing; the real signal lives elsewhere. Ask first: when was the decision made? If you decide at the moment of speaking — an offer, a spontaneous promise — use will: "The phone's ringing — I'll get it." If the plan existed earlier, use going to: "I'm going to call him tomorrow — it's on my list." Ask second: what does the prediction rest on? On your opinion, often flagged by I think or probably? Then will: "I think the client will agree." On something visible? Then going to: "Look at the queue — this is going to take an hour." Decision timing and evidence are the signals — not the adverb at the end of the sentence. Watch only the time words and you are guessing; ask the two questions and you choose with confidence.
05 / 06
The German traps: present tense for the future — and mapping "ich werde" onto will
Two transfer habits from German make learners use going to far too rarely. First, German handles planned future comfortably with the present tense plus a time expression: Ich treffe morgen den Kunden. Translated word for word this becomes "I meet the customer tomorrow" — and that is wrong, because the English present simple only refers to the future with timetables and fixed schedules ("The train leaves at 9"). For your planned appointment, English wants "I'm going to meet the customer tomorrow." Second, the German ich werde maps onto will almost automatically — and sends every future sentence through the same door. You can hear the result in many German offices: will everywhere, going to almost never, even when the plan has been fixed for weeks. The fix is a deliberate detour: before you say will, ask yourself briefly whether the decision is older than the sentence. If it is, the sentence belongs to going to — even when your German instinct whispers werde.
06 / 06
The going-to future at work
At work, the going-to future is your plan tense. In meetings you present decisions that have already been made: "We're going to launch the new product in March." "We're going to move the weekly call to Tuesdays." With suppliers and clients you announce agreed steps: "I'm going to call the supplier next week and confirm the delivery dates." And when you present figures, going to carries the data-based forecast: "Look at these numbers — we're going to miss the budget unless we act now." Exactly this combination of visible evidence and prediction is persuasive in presentations, because it shows what your claim rests on. One register note to finish: in fast spoken English, going to often reduces to gonna — "We're gonna need more time." That is completely normal in a meeting, but in emails and reports you always write the full form going to.