going to-future: Summer Plans in the USA
Holidays & American Life · going to-future
🕵️ Become a Grammar Detective! Native English speakers use a secret pattern to talk about plans they have already made. Your mission: read the texts below, find the pattern hiding inside them, and work out the rule yourself – before we tell you the answer. Ready? Let's investigate!
Step 1: Investigate
Every time you see the words going to, a plan is hiding nearby. Click the verb that comes right after "going to" in each text. The texts get harder – read carefully, some sentences use a different tense!
Step 2: Crack the code
Look back at the sentences above. What little word comes right before "going to"? It changes depending on the subject. Complete the pattern for each one – like a real detective!
Detective conclusion: the rule!
Well spotted! Here is the full pattern you discovered:
Subject + am/is/are + going to + verb
- I am going to visit New York.
- She/He/It is going to watch a baseball game.
- We/You/They are going to travel to Florida.
Tipp: going to nutzt man für Pläne, die schon feststehen – nicht für spontane Entscheidungen.
Step 3: Choose the right form
Time to practise your discovery! Which sentence uses am/is/are correctly?
Step 4: Write it yourself
Now write the full "going to" form (e.g. is going to watch) in the gap.
Step 5: A Perfect Summer
Fill in the gaps with the correct "going to" form.
Step 6: Write a postcard!
Imagine the summer holidays have just started. Write a postcard to a friend about your own plans. Use going to at least three times: where you are going to go, what you are going to do, and who you are going to see.
Sample answer
Dear Emma, greetings from Texas! This summer I am going to visit my cousins in Florida. We are going to swim in the ocean every day and my dad is going to take us to a baseball game. In the evenings we are going to watch the sunset on the beach. I can't wait! Bye, Jake