going to

== English == === Alternative forms === gonna (informal); gunna, gonno (eye dialect) === Etymology === From Middle English goyng to, first attested in 1483—some earlier attestations have been claimed, though these are disputed—and grammaticalized over the course of the Early Modern period. Possibly influenced by the comparable use of Middle French aller (“go”), which arose somewhat earlier and is preserved in modern French. === Pronunciation === (stressed) IPA(key): /ˈɡoʊɪŋ tu/ (unstressed) IPA(key): /ɡoʊɪŋ tə/, /ɡoʊɪn tə/, /ɡoʊɪnə/, /ɡoʊnə/, /ɡənə/; see also gonna (West Midlands) IPA(key): [ˈɡʊwɪn tə] === Phrase === going to Expresses the prospective aspect relative to a given time frame: something that will happen, or is intended, at the time, to happen. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see be,‎ going,‎ to. ==== Usage notes ==== Going is technically a present participle (of go) that may be followed by an infinitive with “to”. Such a phrase is commonly considered a modal or auxiliary verb. The future formed with "going to" (or "gonna") differs from that formed with "will". It usually indicates something already planned, an intention, or something that is bound to happen. Some examples of this contrast: However, there are other contexts that are such that the two modals will mean the same thing. It is sometimes used without the main verb (in the infinitive) if the verb is contextually inferable: "Did you cut the grass?" "No, I was going to, but it started raining." Tenses other than the present can be used to express intentions or events in the future compared to that point in time. Past time frames are common: "I was going to finish my homework when my brother barged in", "I'd heard they were going to leave soon". The past perfect, as in "I had been going to", is less common but still well-attested. Future time frames, however, are rare (for example, "He said he's going to finish it soon: I imagine he will still be going to finish it tomorrow"). In spoken English "going to" is often replaced by "gonna", but only when forming a future, not in a sentence like "I'm going to New York". ==== Translations ==== === See also === to (particle) === References === === Further reading === Going-to future on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “be going to”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “be going to”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. === Anagrams === GOTOing, togoing