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I �d like to ask for help as I have some doubts in regards to future tense "be going to" vrs "Present Continuous"
My students find a little hard to identify when to use present continuous and when to use be going to. I �ve explained that "be going to" is used for future plans..Something that has already been thought and arranged.
And Present continuous for arrangements? I don �t know how to make them see the difference in meaning of course.. (not the structure...!)
For instance..... what �s the difference? how can they know when to use one and the other.?
My friends from Sweden are staying with me next week.
My friends from Sweeden are going to stay with me next week.
(I forgot to mention that in the book I have, students must complete the above sentences in either present continuous or be going to, and the correct answer is: present continuous.. Now the problem is that students ask how do they recognize which is the correct form.. ) It´s been hard for these students (public school) because they are not used to inferring things from context... ...
I think that going to is used mainly for intention in the future whereas the present continuous is rather used for planned action. In the sentence u mentioned i would tend to use the present continuous rather than the structure to be going to for it sound like a plan.
The Going to form is used for plans (not arrangements), predictions based on evidence and for intention while the present continuous is used for arrangements:
Going to : Future tense to express an action already planned before (VS Will: action decided in the moment of speaking) for ex: Next Saturday, I am going to play a match with my classmates However, the Present Continuous is completely different from the future tense using Going to We use the Present Continuous or progressive to talk about actions happening for the moment of speaking and which take some time for example: I am writing you a reply to your inquiry. The present progressive can also indicate Future but we can only recognize it from the context or there should be a signal word indicating the future, otherwise, it �s very blurred for example: A: Are you going to the concert this weekend?
B: I wish I could, but I �m meeting an important client from Oklahoma.
ayda louhichi Thanks for your help.. I �m not talking about present continuous to talk about actions happening at the moment of speaking.....but the future use of present continuous. .. what you say about the use of future doesn �t answer my post. --------------------------------------------------- Thank you Tere... IT helps!
I think the question has been answered, Judith. Murphy states that present continuous is used for future arrangements and going to for intentions. We are going to eat in that restaurant tomorrow , but still have to book a table ... v ... we are eating in that restaurant tomorrow and it s all arranged.
@ Juliar.... Thank you! I didn �t say that the question WASN �T answered by anyone. I didn �t ask people to answer �which is the use of present continuous �.. So an answer saying it �s to talk about actions happening at the moment of speaking ..doesn �t answer. Neither does to say that the present continuous needs a signal word indicating the future...because that doesn �t answer either..or does it? ..
will - promise / instant decision / prediction, and usually after "I think" this is the one you use.
going to - plan / intention
present continuous. Something which has being arranged. "I �m meeting my friend this evening" I know I �m meeting her, she knows, we have arranged it. "I �m flying to Spain tomorrow" I �ve bought my tickets. "I �m flying to Spain on April 25th" i �ve bought my tickets. "I �m going to fly to Spain in April." I haven �t bought my tickets - it �s not arranged.
Present simple - something timetabled.
I think you can mix up "going to" and "will" without anyone getting confused, but if you use the present continuous where you shouldn �t people get confused and think you �re talking about right now.
For this reason I tell students "If you �re not sure which to use; use will." This works fine in real life, but not in an exam situation.
When I explain this topic, I tell my students that the Present Continuous is used for things that will happen for sure; �I am taking an English exam next week,� and the Going To form is used for things we want to happen or predict; �I am going to pass my exam.� I think Spanish speakers have a hard time with these future times because we use the Present Simple to express what in English is said with the Present Continuous
You can ask them to translate into Spanish these sentences to see the difference:
I am going to pass my exam tomorrow (voy a aprobar mi examen ma�ana)
I am passing my exam tomorrow (apruebo mi examen ma�ana)
They will see that they would never say the second one
RabbitWho, thank you for your help. The book we are using mixes both of them �be going to � and �present continuous �. We have already worked on Will vrs Be going to in the previous unit. That �s why I thought I �d ask for help and tips on how else could I explain to students to spot the difference. Franpancho, thank you! very clear! Thankyou everyone for your help!! I appreciate it very much!
I usually have that kind of doubts from my students. I tell them that they are quite similar in meaning but I suggest associating present continuous with "agenda" (at a specific time in the future)
See the difference:
A: Shall we play rugby tomorrow?
B: I can �t. I �m going to start painting the kitchen. (present continuous is also possible)
