Meanings
alternative informal gonna · alternative pronunciation spelling gunna · alternative pronunciation spelling gonno
- Expresses the prospective aspect relative to a given time frame: something that will happen, or is intended, at the time, to happen.
I was going to cut the grass, but it started raining.
5 more examples
I’m going to throw out the milk if nobody’s going to drink it.
Mary is going to have another baby. It’ll most probably have blue eyes, because both parents do.
I’ve already agreed on a price, so I’m going to buy it regardless.
I’ve been going to stop by for ages, but I’ve only just found time.
I have been told about a row house going to be available soon.
Origin
- Middle Frenchaller“go”
- Middle Englishbeen goyng to
- Englishbe going to
From Middle English been 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.
More words from Middle English, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μέλλω
- μέλλω (méllō)will (future tense)
Bengali যাওয়া
- যাওয়া (jaōẇa)will (future tense)
Catalan anar a
- anar awill (future tense)
Chinese Mandarin 會 /会, 將會 /将会
- 會 /会 (huì)will (future tense)
- 將會 /将会 (jiānghuì)will (future tense)
- 將要 /将要 (jiāngyào)will (future tense)
- 本來想 /本来想 (běnlái xiǎng)past progressive
Dutch gaan, past tense of gaan
- gaanwill (future tense)
- past tense of gaanpast progressive
Finnish present tense of the main verb, past tense of aikoa
- present tense of the main verbwill (future tense)
- past tense of aikoapast progressive
French aller
- allerwill (future tense)
German werden
- werdenwill (future tense)
Greek πάω
- πάω (páo)will (future tense)
Hungarian fog, úgy volt, hogy
- fogwill (future tense)
- úgy volt, hogypast progressive
Irish chun
- chunwill (future tense)
Korean ㄹ 것이다
- ㄹ 것이다 (-l geosida)will (future tense)
Polish typically formed using the past tense of chcieć
- typically formed using the past tense of chciećpast progressive
Portuguese ir
- irwill (future tense)
Russian собира́ться, намерева́ться
- собира́ться (sobirátʹsja)will (future tense)
- намерева́ться (namerevátʹsja)will (future tense)
Spanish ir
- irwill (future tense)
Swedish komma att, ska
- komma attwill (future tense)
- skawill (future tense)
- past tense of skapast progressive
Tamil போ preceded by infinitive
- போ preceded by infinitive (pō)will (future tense)
Cite this entry
be going to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20going%20to
“be going to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20going%20to. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “be going to,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20going%20to.
Source: be going to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.