Be Going To Explained: A Complete Teaching Guide

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Your A1 student leans forward eagerly and says, ‘Tomorrow I visit my sister!’ You smile and ask about their plans, prompting them towards the target structure: ‘I am going to visit my sister.’ This common slip reveals exactly why be going to needs careful attention at elementary level—learners grasp the meaning but struggle with the form.

TL;DR

• Be going to is formed with the verb be + going to + base verb and expresses plans decided before speaking and predictions based on present evidence.
• The most common A1 errors are omitting the auxiliary verb be and conjugating the main verb after going to.
• Effective activities include picture predictions for evidence-based meanings and plans mingles for practising personal intentions.
• Start with clear form presentation, then contrast the two core uses before moving to controlled and free practice stages.

What is be going to and why do A1 learners need it?

Be going to is a future structure that expresses two distinct meanings: plans and intentions decided before the moment of speaking, and predictions based on present evidence. It’s essential for A1 learners because it allows them to talk about their immediate future plans and make logical predictions about what they can see happening.

At elementary level, students need this structure to communicate basic personal information. They want to describe weekend plans, holiday intentions, or obvious predictions like ‘It’s going to rain.’ Without be going to, A1 students remain stuck talking about the present and past.

The structure appears frequently in authentic materials that A1 learners encounter. Cambridge Grammar’s explanation of be going to usage confirms its importance for expressing intentions and plans decided before speaking. ESL Brains’ library contains 1,000+ video-based lesson plans covering levels A1 to C2, with several focused specifically on future forms for beginners.

The two core meanings

Plans and intentions represent the first core use. When students say ‘I’m going to study English next year’, they’re expressing a decision already made. This meaning connects to the speaker’s mind—the plan exists before they speak about it.

Predictions based on present evidence form the second use. Students look at dark clouds and say ‘It’s going to rain’ because they see clear evidence now. The prediction links directly to observable facts in the present moment.

Keep these meanings separate during initial presentation. Students who try to learn both simultaneously often confuse when to use which meaning. Present intentions first using personal examples, then introduce predictions through visual evidence.

Structure	Be Going To	Will
Formation	am/is/are + going to + base verb	will + base verb
When used	Plans decided before speaking	Decisions made at the moment of speaking
Evidence	’I’m going to visit Paris’ (already planned)	‘I’ll answer that’ (deciding now)
Predictions	Based on present evidence	General future, no specific evidence

How do you form be going to correctly?

The structure follows the pattern: subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. Only the be verb changes according to the subject—everything else remains fixed.

This fixed pattern reduces cognitive load for beginners once they grasp it. The challenge lies in remembering that going to needs the auxiliary verb be and that the main verb stays in its base form.

Positive form

The positive form demonstrates the clearest version of the pattern. ‘I am going to travel’, ‘She is going to cook’, ‘They are going to watch a film.’ Students need extensive drilling with this form before moving to questions and negatives.

Focus on subject-verb agreement with be. Many A1 students still struggle with ‘He is’ versus ‘They are’, so expect extra repetition here. Use the our comprehensive A1 grammar lesson collection to reinforce be verb forms alongside going to practice.

Negative and question forms

Negatives add not after the be verb: ‘I am not going to travel’, ‘She isn’t going to cook.’ Questions invert the be verb and subject: ‘Are you going to watch TV?’, ‘Is he going to study?’

Students often forget the question word order, producing ‘You are going to do what?’ instead of ‘What are you going to do?’ Drill the inversion pattern systematically before expecting fluent question formation.

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
I	I am going to travel	I am not going to travel	Am I going to travel?
You	You are going to cook	You are not going to cook	Are you going to cook?
He/She	He is going to watch	He is not going to watch	Is he going to watch?
We	We are going to study	We are not going to study	Are we going to study?
They	They are going to play	They are not going to play	Are they going to play?

What are the most common be going to mistakes?

A1 learners make predictable errors with be going to that stem from incomplete understanding of English auxiliary verb systems. These mistakes follow clear patterns, making them easier to anticipate and correct.

The most frequent error involves omitting the be verb entirely. Students produce ‘I going to travel’ because they focus on going to as the main structure. The second major mistake adds conjugation to the main verb, creating forms like ‘I am going to travels.’

Missing be verb errors

Students say ‘I going to visit my friend’ instead of ‘I am going to visit my friend’ because they treat going to as a complete verb. This happens when presentation focuses too heavily on the going to element without emphasising the auxiliary be.

Address this by highlighting that going to cannot stand alone—it needs a helping verb. Write the full form on the board and cross out examples of the incomplete version. Point out that every English sentence needs a main verb, and going alone doesn’t qualify.

Wrong verb forms

Learners produce ‘He is going to goes to London’ or ‘She is going to travels tomorrow’, applying present simple conjugation rules after going to. This error shows they haven’t internalised that going to is followed by the base form.

Emphasise the base form rule repeatedly. This A1 lesson on be going to provides systematic practice with correct verb forms through party planning contexts that make the structure memorable.

Incorrect	Correct	Why it happens
I going to travel	I am going to travel	Forgetting the auxiliary verb be
He is going to goes	He is going to go	Conjugating the main verb after going to
They is going to cook	They are going to cook	Subject-verb disagreement with be
I’m going to the party	I’m going to go to the party	Treating going literally as movement

How should you teach be going to step by step?

Teach be going to through a structured sequence that moves from clear presentation to meaningful practice. Start with visual timelines to establish the concept, then drill the form before moving to communicative activities.

The key lies in separating form from meaning initially, then bringing them together through guided practice. Students need to automate the structure before they can use it fluently in conversation.

Presentation stage

Begin with a clear timeline showing three points: past decision, present moment, and future plan. Use personal examples first: ‘Last week I decided to visit my family. Now I’m telling you: I’m going to visit my family this weekend.’

Elicit the structure before formal presentation. Ask students what they notice about the grammar, then build the pattern together on the board. This discovery approach helps the form stick better than direct explanation.

Practice activities

Picture predictions work perfectly for evidence-based use. Show images of dark clouds, a man about to fall, or a cake burning in the oven. Students must predict using be going to based on what they see.

Plans mingles provide natural practice for intentions. Students walk around asking ‘What are you going to do this weekend?’ and noting classmates’ answers. This personalised approach makes the structure relevant and memorable.

Try this tomorrow: give each pair different ‘evidence’ pictures and have them write predictions. Then swap pictures between pairs for checking. The peer correction element keeps everyone engaged while reinforcing the correct forms.

Production tasks

Weekend plans sharing activities let students use both meanings naturally. They describe their actual intentions for the coming weekend, then make predictions about the weather or events based on current information.

Making predictions about classmates adds a personal element. Students guess what their partners are going to do, wear, or eat, creating opportunities for natural question-and-answer exchanges using the target structure.

Other A1 general lessons can supplement this systematic approach, ensuring students encounter be going to across different contexts and topics throughout their elementary-level learning.

Stage	Activity	Time	Focus
Lead-in	Personal plans discussion	5 min	Context and interest
Presentation	Timeline + form building	10 min	Structure and meaning
Controlled practice	Sentence completion drills	15 min	Accuracy
Semi-controlled	Picture predictions	15 min	Meaning + form
Free practice	Weekend plans mingle	15 min	Fluency

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between will and going to?

Be going to expresses plans decided before the moment of speaking and predictions based on present evidence. Will expresses spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking and general future predictions without specific evidence.

What is the structure of be going to?

The structure is subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb. Only the be verb changes according to the subject, while going to and the main verb remain unchanged.

Is going to a tense or a structure?

Be going to is a future structure, not a tense. English has no true future tense, but several ways to express future meaning including be going to for plans and predictions.

How do you teach going to future to beginners?

Start with clear visual presentation using timelines, focus on the two core uses separately, provide controlled practice with picture predictions and personal plans, then move to free speaking activities about weekend intentions.

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Ready to teach be going to with a complete lesson plan? This A1 lesson on be going to uses party planning as context to introduce the structure through engaging video content and speaking practice. The 60-minute lesson includes presentation slides, student worksheets, and step-by-step teacher notes. Open this lesson.