What is ‘Be Going To’?
Be going to is a common way to talk about the future in English.
We use it for plans and predictions. For example, I am going to study English tonight means it is your plan.
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How Do We Make ‘Be Going To’ Negative?
To make be going to negative, you add not after the verb be (am, is, or are).
The structure is always: subject + be + not + going to + base verb.
- For I, we say: I am not going to…
- For he/she/it, we say: He is not going to… or She is not going to… or It is not going to…
- For you/we/they, we say: You are not going to… or We are not going to… or They are not going to…
You can also use contractions to speak more quickly:
- I’m not going to…
- He isn’t going to… / She isn’t going to… / It isn’t going to…
- You aren’t going to… / We aren’t going to… / They aren’t going to…
When Do We Use Negative ‘Be Going To’?
We use the negative form of be going to for two main reasons:
- To talk about future plans that you will not do. These are decisions you have already made. For example, I’m not going to watch TV tonight means you have decided not to watch TV.
- To make predictions that something will not happen. This is when you think something is not likely in the future. For example, It isn’t going to rain tomorrow means you don’t think it will rain.
Examples
- I am not going to eat pizza for dinner.
- She isn’t going to visit her family next month.
- They are not going to buy a new car this year.
- He isn’t going to finish his homework tonight.
- We aren’t going to travel to the beach this weekend.
- It isn’t going to be easy.
Practice
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Chat with an Advisor on WhatsAppCommon mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes with be going to negative because of differences in sentence structure.
- Mistake 1: Forgetting the verb be.
Incorrect: I not going to study.
Correct: I am not going to study. (Remember am/is/are is essential!) - Mistake 2: Putting not in the wrong place.
Incorrect: I going not to work.
Correct: I am not going to work. (The not always comes after am/is/are.)
Frequently asked questions
What is the short form of ‘be going to’ negative?
The short forms (contractions) are I’m not going to, he/she/it isn’t going to, and you/we/they aren’t going to.
Can I use ‘will not’ instead of ‘be not going to’?
For A1 level, focus on be not going to for plans you have already decided. Will not (or won’t) is also for the future, but it often expresses spontaneous decisions or general predictions, which is a different use.
Is ‘be going to’ for plans or predictions?
Both! We use be going to for future plans (things you have decided) and for predictions based on what you see now. The negative form works for both: plans you won’t do, or predictions that something won’t happen.
How do I say ‘no voy a’ in English?
You can say I am not going to or I’m not going to. For example, ‘No voy a trabajar mañana’ is I am not going to work tomorrow.
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