Unit 4: Grammar 1: The future: be going to / will : cours 1 Bac SM

1Course Objectives

This section outlines the concrete learning goals students are expected to achieve by the end of this grammar lesson. These objectives guide the entire course and are directly aligned with the Moroccan 1st-year Baccalaureate English curriculum.

By the End of This Lesson, You Will Be Able To:

Objective 1

Identify and produce the correct grammatical forms of'will' and'be going to' in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.

Objective 2

Differentiate between the uses of'will' : spontaneous decisions, opinion-based predictions, promises, offers, and future facts.

Objective 3

Differentiate between the uses of'be going to' : prior intentions/plans and evidence-based predictions.

Objective 4

Apply the correct future form based on contextual clues in real-life and exam scenarios.

Objective 5

Avoid the most common structural errors associated with both future forms.

Objective 6

Transform sentences (affirmative \to negative \to interrogative) using both 'will' and 'be going to'.

Will

A modal auxiliary verb used to express spontaneous decisions, promises, offers, and predictions about the future, often based on personal opinion rather than prior planning.

Be Going To

A future structure (formed with the verb 'to be' + 'going to' + base infinitive) used to express pre-planned intentions or predictions supported by present evidence.

Spontaneous Decision

A decision made at the moment of speaking, with no prior planning — a key trigger for using 'will'.

Prior Plan / Intention

Something a person has already decided to do before the moment of speaking — a key trigger for using 'be going to'.

Evidence Based Prediction

A prediction about the near future based on something you can see or observe right now — typically expressed with 'be going to'.

This grammar lesson covers one of the most frequently tested areas of the Moroccan 1st-year Baccalaureate English curriculum. Mastering the distinction between'will' and'be going to' is essential not only for written exams but also for producing natural, accurate English in everyday communication. The six objectives listed above form the backbone of everything covered in this unit — each section of the course is designed to bring you closer to achieving each one of them.

$Objective$	$Grammar Focus$	$Skill Type$
$1$	$Forms: affirmative / negative / interrogative$	$Knowledge & Production$
$2$	$Uses of 'will'$	$Comprehension & Differentiation$
$3$	$Uses of 'be going to'$	$Comprehension & Differentiation$
$4$	$Choosing the correct form from context$	$Application$
$5$	$Avoiding common structural errors$	$Accuracy & Self-correction$
$6$	$Sentence transformation$	$Production & Manipulation$

Overview of course objectives mapped to grammar focus areas and skill types.

2Essential Prerequisites

Before studying the future tense, students must have a firm command of several foundational grammatical concepts. This section briefly reviews what is needed to avoid confusion when learning the new structures.

Subject Pronouns

The words used as the subject of a sentence: I, you, he, she, it, we, they. These are essential for correctly forming 'be going to' because the verb 'to be' must agree with the subject.

Base Form of a Verb

The infinitive without 'to' (e.g., go, eat, study, play). Both 'will' and 'be going to' are always followed by the base form of the main verb.

Present Simple of 'To Be'

The conjugated forms of 'to be' in the present tense: am (with I), is (with he/she/it), are (with you/we/they). These forms are the backbone of the 'be going to' structure.

Subject-verb agreement with 'to be' is the first skill you must revise. When building the 'be going to' future, the correct form of 'to be' must match the subject of the sentence. Study the table below carefully before moving on.

$Subject Pronoun$	$Form of 'To Be'$	$Quick Example$
$I$	$am$	$I am going to study.$
$He / She / It$	$is$	$She is going to travel.$
$You / We / They$	$are$	$They are going to play football.$

Present simple conjugation of 'to be' matched to each subject pronoun — the foundation of 'be going to'.

Base form of verbs is the second key prerequisite. After both 'will' and 'be going to', the main verb is always in its base form — never conjugated, never with an -s or -ing ending. For example: go, eat, study, play, watch, write.

Correct vs. Incorrect Base Form Use

✔ Correct

She will go to the market. / He is going to eat lunch.

✗ Incorrect

She will goes to the market. / He is going to eating lunch.

Sentence structure — affirmative, negative, and interrogative — must also be reviewed. Forming future sentences correctly depends on knowing how English sentences are organised in each mode.

$Mode$	$Basic Pattern$	$Example (Present Simple)$
$Affirmative$	$Subject + verb + ...$	$She plays tennis.$
$Negative$	$Subject + do/does + not + base form + ...$	$She does not play tennis.$
$Interrogative$	$Do/Does + subject + base form + ...?$	$Does she play tennis?$

Basic affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentence patterns — these same structures are applied when forming future sentences with 'will' and 'be going to'.

Finally, you should have a basic awareness of the present continuous used for future arrangements . In English, a sentence such as'I am meeting my friend tomorrow' uses the present continuous form (am/is/are + verb-ing) to express a future event that is already arranged. This is different from 'be going to' and 'will', and recognising this distinction will help you choose the right structure as the course progresses.

Present Continuous vs. Be Going To

Present Continuous (arranged)

I am meeting my friend tomorrow. \to A confirmed, scheduled arrangement.

Be Going To (planned intention)

I am going to meet my friend tomorrow. \to A personal plan or intention.

Prerequisites Checklist

✔

I know all seven subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

✔

I can conjugate 'to be' in the present simple: am / is / are.

✔

I can identify the base form of a verb (infinitive without 'to').

✔

I can build affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences.

✔

I recognise the present continuous when it refers to a future arrangement.

Plan du chapitre

Sur cette page

1Course Objectives
2Essential Prerequisites

Dans la classe

3The Form of 'Will': Structure, Contractions, and Rules
4The Form of 'Be Going To': Structure and Subject-Verb Agreement
5Uses of 'Will': Spontaneous Decisions, Promises, Offers, and Future Facts
6Uses of 'Be Going To': Prior Plans and Evidence-Based Predictions
7Methods for Choosing the Correct Future Form
8Solved Application Exercises
9Key Points to Remember: Summary