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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Helo needed
Helo needed
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İbrahim Arif
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Helo needed
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I �m hungry.I will/am going to eat something.
Which one is correct |
16 Oct 2014
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David Harry
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Hi
I will eat something/I am going to eat something
Both are correct, both are in use, and more or less equivalent.
David Harry |
16 Oct 2014
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Peter Hardy
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David is partly right. For the modern teenager they may be interchangeable, but for the more educated elderly they aren �t. �Will � is used when we make on the spot decisions. �Going to � or in speech �Gonna � is used when we have a more concrete plan. When my wife catches me out getting out of bed to check the fridge and asks me "What are you doing?" I might simply say "I �m having a bite." In other words, we use �will � for quick decisions (and promises or when we �re unsure), �going to � for when we have some kind of a plan, and the continuous for appointments and agreements. (Although my wife disagrees with my appointment at/in/with the fridge.) And lastly we use the present simple for schedules and timetables. So to your question: "Hmmm, I �m hungry. I �ll better have something to eat." Cheers, Peter
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16 Oct 2014
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FrauSue
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To expand on Peter �s excellent comment: - "I will eat something" suggests a spontaneous decision, but it �s a strange way to phrase it. It �s more likely that the speaker would say "I �ll have something to eat." - In your sentence, the speaker has reflected on being hungry, so "I �m going to have something to eat" makes perfect sense. - In UK English "I �ll better eat something" (Peter �s suggestion) wouldn �t be used. We would say "I had better eat something."
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16 Oct 2014
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aysnr
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�will � is suitable for this situation because this is spontaneous decision without plan. |
16 Oct 2014
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yanogator
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I don �t know about other countries, but in the US, "I will eat something" sounds uncomfortably formal. We would say "I �m going to get something to eat" or "I �m getting something to eat." Bruce |
16 Oct 2014
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Peter Hardy
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# Frau Sue, you �re right. I �d say "I �d better" indeed. And probably even more realistic, I �d say "I �m hungry. What can I eat?" Or "What �s there to eat?" I �m off now. I �m gonna check the fridge. Cheers.
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16 Oct 2014
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salouh
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What about these sentences:
It �s cloudy. It �s going to rain.
She is pregnant. She is going to have a baby.
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16 Oct 2014
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Peter Hardy
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# Salouh. Both are correct as we are sure it is going to happen. �Will � is used for uncertainties: It �s cloudy. It probably will rain. However, to express certainty we could also say "It may rain" or "It might rain." There is no uncertainty with pregnancies (unless something horrible happens like a miscarriage). But you could also use the continuous: "She is having her baby in November." Just remember that there are many grammar rules, but even more exceptions! Cheers, Peter
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17 Oct 2014
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