65 “Be Going To” Conversation Questions (ESL Discussion Practice)

Level: intermediate (B1)

Go to the English Conversation Questions Hub for more discussion topics you can use for self-study or for the ESL classroom.

This page is intended to be a discussion resource for English learners and teachers. You can practice answering these "be going to" conversation questions for A2/B1 intermediate English learners by yourself or with a partner. You can also write the answers in a notebook, in a digital document, or in the comments section below. To help learners feel more confident and to develop grammatical accuracy, the Warm-up questions have some suggested answer beginnings, which makes them ideal for beginners. After that, you can let your eyes travel up and down the page to decide which aspect of "be going to" you want to practice!

Grammar Summary for "Be Going To"

"Be going to" is used for strong future plans and intentions, and for confident or evidence-based predictions. When you use "be going to" to talk about what you plan or intend to do in the future, you have probably thought about it and discussed it with someone before. Basically, you made your decision before you spoke—maybe on the same day, the day before, a week ago, etc.

There are brief, useful explanations of how to use "be going to" before each set of discussion questions below. If this is your first time learning about "be going to," I recommend that you read these sections.

Here are two tables to help you understand how "be going to."

Table 1: Grammar structure for "be going to" to talk about future plans, intentions, and strong predictions

Your level of confidence about you future plans, intentions, and predictions will affect which words you use with "be going to." Take a look at this chart. Note that confidence percentage just means how certain you feel about your future plan, intention, or prediction, not necessarily how likely it actually is to happen.

Table 2: Showing Certainty and Uncertainty with "Be Going To"

Pronunciation Note about "Be Going To" and "Gonna"

In relaxed English speech, many people pronounce "going to" as "gonna" when discussing future plans, intentions, and predictions. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to be there," many people say, "I'm gonna be there." If you would like to learn more about this, you can check out this article on how to use (and NOT use!) "gonna" in English. It's your decision whether or not you actually want to use "gonna" with these conversation questions. If it's your first time practicing "be going to," I recommend that you just say "going to" for now.

Is that clear? Great! Now, it's time to practice. Here we go!

65 "Be Going To" Conversation Questions for English Learners

Warm-up

What are you going to do after [school/work] today?

Example answer: After [school/work], I'm going to go to the gym.

What are you going to have for dinner tonight?

Example answer: I don't know what I'm going to have yet. / I'm probably going to have rice with meat and vegetables.

When are you going to get your next haircut?

Example answer: I'm going to get a haircut in a month or two.

When are you going to get a new phone?

Example answer: I'm probably going to get a new phone next summer.

How are you going to improve your English speaking skills?

Example answer: I'm going to listen to dialogues and repeat what characters say.

Are you going to stay home tonight?

Example answer: Yes, I am. / No, I'm going to go to a restaurant with a friend.

Imagine that you are at work and that your workday has just finished. How are you going to get home tonight?

Example answer: I'm going to take the bus. / I'm going to get home by bus.

Are you going to do any housework tonight?

Example answer: I don't think so. / Yes, I'm definitely going to do the dishes.

Do you think that anyone you know is going to be rich and famous one day?

Example answer: Probably not! / I think my friend Amy is going to be rich and famous one day.

Are you going to go out or stay in on Friday? ("Go out" means go outside of your home for pleasure. "Stay in" means to stay at home.)

Example answer: I think I'm going to [go out/stay in].

Talking about Future Plans with "Be Going To"

"Be going to" is used to discuss future plans. These are things you have thought about before the moment of speaking, and which you intend to do. Answer these questions with "be going to." If you're not sure about some of your answers, use language like "I think I'm going to," "I might," or "I'm probably going to."

Are you going to call anyone today?

Are you going to watch TV tonight?

Are you going to do any reading or studying this evening?

Are you going to eat out anywhere this week?

Are you going to cook anything for dinner tonight?

Are you going to visit any friends or family this week?

When are you going to take your next vacation? What are you going to do?

What time are you going to go to bed tonight?

What are you going to wear tomorrow?

Are you going to exercise this week?

Making Strong Future Predictions with "Be Going To"

You can use "be going to" to make predictions that you feel very confident about, or that you have evidence for. Answer these questions and practice using "be going to" for strong predictions. If you're not sure, use the appropriate language.

Do you know if it's going to be sunny tomorrow?

Who do you think is going to win the next World Cup?

When do you think you're going to retire? ("Retire" means to stop working. People usually do this in their 60s—or earlier if they're lucky.)

Do you think you're going to have a good year this year?

Are you going to attend any concerts or other public events this year?

Imagine that...

• there are dark clouds in the sky and you can hear thunder. What's going to happen soon?

• you see a young boy fall off his bike and land on his hands and knees. What do you think is going to happen next?

• you see a man running towards the bus stop, but he is 50 meters away. The bus driver has just closed the door. Is the man going to catch the bus? ("No, he...")

• your best friend didn't study at all for their physics exam, and they missed more than fifty percent of their classes. How do you think your friend is probably going to do on the exam?

• you didn't eat breakfast. How are you going to feel by lunchtime?

"Be Going To" Picture Exercise: What's Going to Happen Next?

Look at the pictures and predict what's going to happen next.

Conditionals with "Be Going To": "What If..." Scenarios

You can use "be going to" to state your intention or prediction if something happens. These are first conditionals. What are you going to do if these scenarios happen? In some cases, you have to imagine that you are in a particular context.

What are you going to do if it rains tomorrow?

You've been coughing a lot over the past twenty-four hours. Are you still going to visit your mom if you're sick this weekend?

How are you going to get home if your phone dies and you can't use your map app?

Are you going to reply if your boss texts you after work?

If the movie is boring, are you going to walk out of the theatre?

If you don't win the award, are you going to be disappointed?

Are you going to stay home tomorrow if the weather is still terrible?

If it costs more than two-thousand dollars to fix it, are you going to repair your car?

What are you going to do if you can't find cheap plane tickets (for your next vacation)?

Are you going to join the gym if your friend does?

Weekend Plans with "Be Going To"

"Be going to" is extremely common when we talk about weekend plans, intentions, and strong predictions. Use it to answer these questions.

Are you going to do anything special this weekend?

Are you going to sleep in on Saturday morning?

Are you going to visit anyone this weekend? If so, who are you going to see?

Are you going to clean the house?

Are you going to do any shopping?

Are you going to have a chance to relax a bit this weekend?

Are you going to do anything creative?

Are you going to order any takeout food this weekend?

Are you going to get any exercise?

What time do you think you're going to be in bed on Sunday night?

"Be Going To" + Place (Present Continuous Usage)

You can use the present continuous to talk about actions or events that are in progress now (or around now), and for future arrangements. "Be going to" is common in these contexts and always refers to going to a place, such as the grocery store, the gas station, the mall, the park, the gym, the zoo, my cousin's house, the garage, etc. This is a different structure than "be going to" plus a verb to talk about future plans and strong intentions, but it is still important to practice and recognize the difference. Also, keep in mind that there are many ways to use "go" and that "go to" is just one of them.

Complete these short dialogues with your own ideas.

• Where are you going?

  I'm going to __________ because I need (to) __________.

• Are you going anywhere this weekend?

  Yeah, my family and I are going to __________.

• What time are you going to the grocery store?

  I'm going to the grocery store at __________.

• Why are you going to the mall?

  I'm going to the mall because __________.

• When are you and your family going to Peru? (This is a planned trip that you have discussed before.)

  We're going to Peru __________.

Good job! You have finished practicing talking about future plans, intentions, and predictions with "be going to." If you would like more speaking practice with future structures, check out these 100+ Future Simple Conversation Questions.

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