WhatMaster

difference between will and going to in tabular form

We explain that what is the difference between will and going to with table. The English language has time-limited grammatical forms. This helps the speaker to talk comfortably about the past, present, and future.

Verb tenses play a vital role in determining in what time frame the context exists. The grammatical nature and use of words change according to the context of time.

To speak and write correctly in English, verb tenses are an important grammatical characteristic that must be understood. The times are connected with the word and modify the verb according to the time factor.

Future timestamps happen in the future. Determine an activity that hasn’t happened yet.

It is a verb form that normally describes an event or activity that is destined to happen in the future. The English language has numerous ways of describing the future.

The use of the auxiliary verb, in particular, determines the time of the sentence. Examples of auxiliary verbs are Will, Shall, Is / Am / Are / Was / Were / Would / Should.

All auxiliary verbs are used prominently in every sentence that is spoken or written. When documenting or talking about the future, the verb ‘Will’ denotes the future.

For example

He will go to a restaurant.
Lilly will eat the mangoes.

The previous two sentences mark the event in the future regarding ‘He’: the pronoun will go to the restaurant. This means that ‘he’ has not yet left, but will be leaving in the future.

In the second sentence too, Lilly hasn’t eaten the mangoes yet, she will surely eat them in the future.

The English language has some substitutes that can be used that will not alter the grammatical form. In this case, the auxiliary verb ‘Will’ can also be replaced by ‘Going to’

For example

He goes to a restaurant.
Lilly is going to eat the mangoes.

If you notice, ‘Go to’ also denotes the future, but not so clearly in the first sequence where ‘Will’ was used. These two sentences have a different meaning than the first set of sentences.

The main difference between Will and Going to that is, ‘Will’ is used when expressing a future activity at the time of speaking while ‘Going to’ refers to the expression that was previously planned.

For example

I will have water.
Tomorrow I am going to see my father.

Comparison table between will and going to in tabular form

The comparison parameter will go to

Common use	‘Will’ gives the immediate decision at the moment of speaking. For example I will eat raw vegetables.	‘Go to’ gives the decision that is made earlier. For example I’m going to the movies tomorrow.
Predictions	Predictions are made using personal opinions. For example I think you will lose the game.	The predictions are based on current evidence. For example Roger Federer is going to win today’s game.
Future events	‘Will’ will give future events well in advance. For example, El sereno will come tomorrow.	“Go to” is used to denote something that is going to happen immediately in the future. For example Lilly is going on stage now.
Other times	‘Will’ can never be used more than in the future tense	‘Going to’ can also be used in the past tense.
‘ser’ Verbs	There is no need to use any verb ‘be’ as long as the word ‘Will’ is used after the subject. For example, he will eat hamburgers.	You need to use a verb “to be” before “Go to” for the sentence to have any meaning and time frame. The use of the verb be determines the time of the sentence. For example He ‘goes’ to eat hamburgers.

When to use Will?

‘Will’ is an auxiliary verb used in the English language to denote the events of the future. It is used while the sentences are in the future tense.

The word ‘Will’ is used in different contexts when speaking and writing, but it only appears in the future tense.

ME. ‘Will’ expresses the future tense

For example

You will receive your salary tomorrow.
Jasmine is coming tonight.

Both phrases speak of the future.

The salary is not yet received, it will happen tomorrow
Jasmine has not arrived yet, she will come tonight.

II. ‘Will’ is also used to denote unavoidable events.

For example

Errors will occur.
Accidents will happen.

III. ‘Will’ can also be used to make a request.

For example

Will you let me fall
Will you help me lift my luggage?

IV. ‘Will’ can also be used to express a wish.

For example

I will like to eat mangoes.
I’d rather go out in the dark.

V. ‘Will’ is excellent for expressing ability or skill

For example

The paper is so light that it will float on water.

It is so strong that it will lift luggage without assistance.

Here are some of the ways the word ‘Will’ is used in the English language. It is always used in the future tense and always denotes events in the future.

When to use going to?

“Going to” is a special phrase used to denote future activity. It is never time, but rather a structure that can denote the sentence in future tense.

The actual structure of ‘Go to’ is

Subject + be verb + Go + a -infinitive

For example

I’m going to buy a new cell phone.
He’s going to take the knife.

In the first sentence

I – subject

am – to be verb

Special Structure – Going

buy – to the infinitive.

In the same way in the second sentence,

The subject

es – be verb

Special Structure – Going

bring to the infinitive

This special structure is used in many ways in English.

ME. “Go to” can be used for any intention.

For example

I’m going to buy a new car.
Nikky is going to hit him.

The two sentences above are planned in advance and expressed in sentences. “Go to” expresses the intention to “buy” and “hit.”

II. “Go to” is also used to predict.

For example

India is going to win.
It will rain.

The previous two sentences give the prediction based on evidence.

‘Going to’ can also be used conveniently at other times.

For example

I was going to slap him yesterday.
I was going to take a seat last night.

Here “go to” refers to an incident that would have occurred in the past.

I am going to buy a new cell phone.

Go to use

Main differences between Will and Going

The main difference between Will and Going to is, ‘Will’ is used in contexts that are immediately planned for the future, while ‘Going to’ is used in places where plans are made well in advance.
‘Will’ and ‘Going to’ are used while making predictions, the former is used to predict a certain aspect based on personal experiences and opinions, while the latter is used to predict based on current evidence.
Future events are given in advance by ‘Will’ while ‘Going to’ denotes something that will happen immediately.
‘Will’ is always and only used in the future tense, while ‘Going to’ is also used in the past tense.
‘Will’ is an auxiliary verb used in the future tense and there is no need for a be verb while used in a sentence, however ‘going to’ requires a ‘be’ verb to determine the time of the sentence.

Final Thought

The words “Will” and “Going to” have similarities. It helps speakers or writers to use it interchangeably in the right contexts. Both words can be used to denote future activities without changing the meaning of the sentence.

For example

I think it will be sunny tomorrow.
I think it’s going to be sunny tomorrow.

Both sentences above do not have any different meaning. It is a good choice to use the correct word in the correct context. If it is an immediate action, then it is the use of ‘Will’, while if it is well planned, then it is the turn of ‘Going to’ to appear in the sentence.