Will vs going to - what's the difference?
"Will" and "going to" both talk about the future, but native speakers use them differently. Here's when to use each one.
Will - spontaneous decisions, predictions, promises
"It's cold - I'll close the window." (decided just now)
"I think it will rain tomorrow." (prediction based on opinion)
"I'll help you with that." (offer/promise)
Going to - planned decisions, evidence-based predictions
"I'm going to visit Madrid next month." (already planned)
"Look at those clouds - it's going to rain." (prediction from evidence you can see)
"She's going to have a baby." (certain future event)
The key test
- Decision made right now = will
- Decision made before the conversation = going to
"A: There's no milk." / "B: I'll get some." (just decided) β
"I'm going to get milk - I planned to stop at the shop anyway." β
Both can express predictions
Use going to when there's evidence. Use will for opinions/guesses.
"He's going to fall off that ladder." (you can see it happening)
"I think he'll succeed." (your opinion, no concrete evidence)
Spoken English
Going to often becomes gonna in fast speech - perfectly normal.
What does "Will vs going to - what's the difference?" mean?
"Will" and "going to" both talk about the future, but native speakers use them differently. Here's when to use each one.
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