Future with Going To

When we use GOING TO for future events, it usually means that there is a connection to the present. It can be used to talk about predictions based on present evidence, or it can be used to talk about plans or intentions.

subject + BE + going to + infinitive.

When we are making predictions, we can use both going to and will. However, if we see evidence in the present which makes the prediction seem more accurate, it is more common to use going to in our sentence. Here is an example:

This version of the software is not compatible. That’s why you can’t install it. But, it is going to be possible once you’ve upgraded. 

Here we can see that the support tech has evidence in the present that the solution is possible. The software is going to be compatible after the customer has upgraded. 

Can you just give me a second, please. I’m going to sign into my account.

In this sentence, we can see an immediate intention. The customer is being helped by support and makes an immediate decision to do something. They are going to sign into their account.

It is very common in spoken English to contract going to and use gonna instead. In this case gonna includes both words going to, so gonna is followed by the verb. We sometimes use just beforehand, to emphasize that it is immediate.

Let’s use these things in our final example.

I’m just gonna sign into my account. Can you give me a second, please?

Here the speaker is just gonna sign in. They are gonna do it immediately.

Gonna is only for spoken English. Do not write it!