#Ep. 18 Mastering Future Tense (Part 2): Confidently Plan and Predict Using "Going To

Unlock the secrets of mastering the future tense with "going to" as we embark on an engaging linguistic adventure together. Ever wondered how to confidently talk about plans, predictions, or promises in English? This episode promises to equip you with the skills needed to navigate the future tense effortlessly. By dissecting sentence structures and the correct use of the verb "to be," you'll gain a clear and practical understanding of how to craft both statements and questions with "going to." With lively examples and interactive exercises, this is your chance to cement your command of the future tense and elevate your everyday conversations.

As we gear up for the week ahead, let's make planning your activities in English a breeze. This chapter encourages you to create and share a list of your weekly plans while crafting questions to inquire about your friends' upcoming activities. My goal is to make your learning journey enjoyable and effective, so don't forget to join me on TikTok and YouTube for more English tips, or dive into our Patreon book club for a literary twist to language learning. Your journey to mastering English is just beginning, and there's no better time than now to subscribe and continue exploring the fascinating world of language with me.

Chapters

• 0:00 Learning Future Tense in English
• 6:41 Planning Activities and Asking Questions

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Are you struggling to understand how to use the future tense in English? Then welcome to Learn English with Natalie. You have come to the right place. Congratulations, you've found it. You've found the solution. Now, over the past few weeks, I have been covering different parts of tense learning in English through my channel. So make sure, so make sure you go over the past episodes where I've been looking at the past tense and the present tense, and I also started looking at the future tense last week, so that you can cover all bases Now.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Today we're going to be continuing our learning on the future tense and first of all, I want to talk about why do we use the future tense. So here we go. The future tense is used to talk about plans, what you intend to do, predictions, what you think is going to happen, and promises or decisions made at the moment. So, just for a little bit of clarity, I want to talk about how, last week we spoke about the word will. Now we use the word will for spontaneous decisions. I will call her now. We also use it for promises and offers. I will help you. Today we're going to be looking at the phrase going to. Now we use this for plans already made. For example, I am going to call her. For example, I am going to call her and we use it for predictions with evidence it is going to rain. So we are using the words going to in our future tense sentences today.

Speaker 1: 1:35

Let's get into it. When we use going to in a sentence, this is what the structure looks like. So we have the subject you, we, they, he, she, I. Then we have the word am, is or are. We've covered this on previous episodes where we looked at the present tense and the past tense and how the word that we use changes depending on the subject. I'm going to go over that again because I know it's a bit tricky to understand. So we have the subject plus am, is or are, depending on who we're talking about, and then we have the phrase going to and then we have the base verb. Now here's an example sentence. If I'm talking about I've used I, I have to use the word am, so I am going to. So I use I am going to, and then I use my base verb visit. I am going to visit. I am going to visit my grandparents next week. Here's another example she is my subject, she. Now I'm not going to say she am. I'm going to say she is, she is going to. She is going to start a new job soon. We're going to go over that, learning again from last week, where I said I and I use the word am I am. If the subject is you, I say are you, are, they are we are. If I'm talking about somebody else and it is a third person singular, like he or she, I use the word is I am, they are, she is.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Here are some more example sentences to help you with that. It is going to snow later, the sky looks dark. So these sentences are predictions based on evidence. It is going to snow later, the sky looks dark. They are going to win. They're leading the game. They are, they are going to win. They're leading the game. Let's practice.

Speaker 1: 4:03

We're going to do this in a my turn, your turn format. My turn. I am going to visit my grandparents this weekend. Your turn, wonderful. She is going to bake a cake for the party. Your turn, excellent. They are going to travel to France next month. Your turn, excellent. He is going to start a new job soon. Your turn, brilliant. We are going to watch a movie tonight. Your turn, perfect.

Speaker 1: 4:59

Now we're going to have a look at asking questions with the phrase going to, and all we need to do for this is flip around the subject and the word am, is or are. So am, is or are will go at the start of the sentence for a question. Here's here's an example am I so, instead of I am, am I going to pass the exam? So we have the same rule again. My top tip for learning English is to remember this very clearly I am you, they, we are, or he she is. So if this was a statement, I would say I am going to pass the exam. But because it's a question, I flip the am and the I. Am I going to pass the exam? Is she going to visit us tomorrow? Are they going to play soccer this evening? Let's practice some questions. My turn, and then it'll be your turn. So my turn.

Speaker 1: 6:04

Are you going to study tonight?

Speaker 1: 6:06

Your turn, wonderful.

Speaker 1: 6:11

And then you would reply yes, I am, or no, I'm not. Is she going to travel next week? Your turn, fantastic. Yes, she is or no, she isn't. Are they going to play basketball? Your turn, wonderful. You would say yes, they are, or no, they are not.

Speaker 1: 6:41

Excellent, now activity time this week.

Speaker 1: 6:54

I want you to write a list of things that you are going to do this week and then I want you to write a list of five questions that you can ask your friends about their upcoming week using the phrase going to. Are you going to go to the cinema? Are you going to go shopping? I love it when I see the work that you produce, so please keep that coming. You can reach out to me on TikTok and YouTube at Learn English with Natalie.

Speaker 1: 7:18

I'm also available on Patreon at Learn English with Natalie. So for those of you who are interested in learning English through stories, then you may want to check out my book nerds only book club available on Patreon, where I dive into modern and classic English novels, talking about vocabulary, themes and all things English. So this is only. If you're a reading fanatic like me I absolutely love reading then please check it out. Thank you so much for joining me today. Make sure you subscribe so that you don't miss the next episode where I will be continuing our work on the future tense. I'll see you then. Bye.