 Talking about the future in English, will versus going to, from espressoenglish.net There are two ways to talk about the future in English, will or won't and going to. But which one should you use in each situation? In general, use going to for plans and arrangements. And use will and won't for promises, offers and decisions made in the moment. Let's look at some examples. Going to for plans and arrangements. On my next vacation, I'm going to stay in a nice hotel. We're going to get married in September. David is going to meet us at the restaurant in half an hour. Remember that in spoken English, going to is often pronounced gonna. So these sentences would be pronounced. On my next vacation, I'm going to stay in a nice hotel. We're going to get married in September. David is going to meet us at the restaurant in half an hour. Use will and won't for promises. He'll send you an email later. I won't tell anyone your secret. I'll pay you back tomorrow. We won't forget your birthday. Usually will is abbreviated to the short form. So we say he'll send you an email later and not he will send you. Use will for offers. I'll buy you a drink. We'll help you carry those boxes upstairs. Finally, use will or won't for decisions made in the moment of speaking. For example, if someone asks, would you like tea or coffee? You can say, I'll have tea. Because you made the decision in that moment. Here's another example. We don't have any eggs. Really? We need eggs to bake the cake, so I'll go to the store and buy some. One situation in which you can use going to or will or won't is when making predictions or saying general statements about the future. Here's an example of a prediction. Your wife will love those flowers. Or your wife is going to love those flowers. These sentences are equal. Here's another example. At current rates the company will grow 200% in the next five years. Or at current rates the company is going to grow 200% in the next five years. In the case of predictions or general statements about the future, you can use either going to or will or won't. One final tip about using the sentence I think when talking about the future. Say, I don't think it will rain. Not, I think it won't rain. There's no specific rule, but it just sounds more natural. Thanks for watching English Tips from Espresso English. If you liked this video, please share it.