WILL OR GOING TO?

One of the most common question that teachers will hear is:

What is the difference between 'will' and 'going to'?

And if you open a grammar book trying to find an answer, you are going to come across so many different definitions that your brain is probably going to burn.

So, let's try and simplify it:

To get started, did you know that English and German are siblings?

Yeah, they are. They used to be very similar, long time ago. But English was butchered by French and Latin and got to the point we know now.

However, some curiosities can be observed. For example, in German, people say Ich WILL, which means I want.

Therefore, we have our first basic idea: Will means Want.

Oh, so you don't believe me?

Check out this use of the word will meaning will:

Last Will = The last thing somebody wants before dying.

How does that help us?

We are able to realize a basic difference between will and going to:

Will is the future you want. It is happening inside your head.
Going to is the future you are going to get. It is already happening on the outside

Check out some examples:

I will be married by the time I'm thirty.
[This is what I hope, what I want.]

It's going to rain tonight.
[The sky is probably dark by now. You can't change it anymore.]

At the restaurant:
- How can I help you, sir?
- I'll have the steak.
[This is what I want to have. That doesn't mean they are going to have it at the restaurant.]

Why don't you try an exercise HERE?

Have you got any other tips you'd like to share with us? Leave a comment or email me at jeanish101@gmail.com. I'll be glad to read your ideas!

See you!
J.