"Be about to" expresses something that will happen in SECONDS or MINUTES (very imminent future); "be going to" expresses plans, intentions, or predictions based on present evidence (near or distant future).
BE ABOUT TO + infinitive: expresses an action that IS ON THE VERGE OF HAPPENING — imminent in seconds or minutes. "The plane is about to land" = the plane is about to land (in a few moments). "She was about to leave when the call came in" = she was on the verge of leaving when the call arrived. BE ABOUT TO implies EXTREME IMMEDIACY — minutes or hours at most, never weeks or months. Not used for general future plans. "I am about to call him" = I am going to call him right now (in seconds). Negative: "I am not about to apologize" = I have no intention of apologizing (emphatic refusal idiom, not necessarily imminent).
The CEO is about to announce the results of the strategic review — everyone in the room should silence their phones before she begins.
The system was about to process the final batch of transactions when the server experienced an unexpected restart, causing a partial data loss.
We are about to enter a period of rapid scaling — every decision made in the next ninety days will have a disproportionate impact on the company's trajectory.
BE GOING TO + infinitive: two main uses. (1) PLAN OR INTENTION: something decided or planned for the future (near or distant). "We are going to launch the product in Q3" = a plan. "She is going to study medicine" = an intention. (2) PREDICTION WITH PRESENT EVIDENCE: something predicted to happen based on visible signals or evidence now. "Look at those clouds — it is going to rain" = I see the clouds now (visible evidence). "The project is going to fail if we do not address this" = prediction based on evidence of current problems. BE GOING TO can refer to a VERY NEAR (this afternoon) or DISTANT (next year) future.
Based on the current run rate, the company is going to exceed its annual revenue target for the first time since the restructuring three years ago.
The board has confirmed that the organization is going to transition to a fully remote working model by the end of the second quarter.
If the market conditions do not improve significantly over the next six months, the startup is going to need a bridge financing round to maintain operations.
Common mistake
Classic errors: (1) Using BE ABOUT TO for a non-imminent future: "I am about to go on vacation next month" = semantically INCORRECT. BE ABOUT TO implies seconds/minutes. Correct: "I am going to go on vacation next month." (2) Using BE GOING TO for extreme imminence: "The glass is going to fall" predicts an upcoming fall, but "the glass is ABOUT TO fall" (on the verge of falling = seconds) is more precise for something happening that instant. (3) "I am about to will call him" = INCORRECT. BE ABOUT TO + infinitive (no "will"): "I am about to CALL him." (4) "She is going to is calling" = INCORRECT. BE GOING TO + simple infinitive: "She is going to CALL."
Trick to remember it
The TIME TEST: SECONDS or MINUTES (happening right now)? = BE ABOUT TO. HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, or MORE (planned future or prediction)? = BE GOING TO. Substitution test: can I say "in a few seconds/moments"? = BE ABOUT TO. Can I say "I have planned this" or "the evidence shows"? = BE GOING TO. "The meeting is about to start" = starts in seconds. "The meeting is going to start at 3 p.m." = planned for 3. GOING TO can also be imminent: "It is going to rain" (clouds suggest imminent rain). But BE ABOUT TO always implies MAXIMUM immediacy.
Quick rule
Be about to = VERY IMMINENT future (seconds/minutes). "The train is about to leave." Be going to = plan/intention or prediction with evidence (any future). "We are going to launch next month." For extreme imminence: about to. For everything else: going to (or will).
Did you know?
The expression "be about to" is an example of what linguists call the IMMEDIATE PROSPECTIVE ASPECT — a grammatical category that many languages express differently. In colloquial Spanish, "estar a punto de" is the direct equivalent. In French: "etre sur le point de." In Portuguese: "estar prestes a." In all these languages, the expression captures the notion that an action is on the "threshold" of occurring — so imminent it can be considered cognitively "already begun." This prospective aspect differs from simple future (WILL) or planned future (GOING TO) because it does not just say something will happen, but that its beginning is practically SIMULTANEOUS with the moment of speech. Linguistically, "the train is about to leave" and "the train is leaving" (in its imminent interpretation) are the expressions of maximum proximity between present and future.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
I need to stop you right there — I _____ make a critical point about the underlying assumptions in the model before we go any further.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Based on the current client feedback and adoption metrics, the product _____ require a significant redesign of the core user workflow within the next six months.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Be about to = VERY IMMINENT future (seconds/minutes). "The train is about to leave." Be going to = plan/intention or prediction with evidence (any future). "We are going to launch next month." For extreme imminence: about to. For everything else: going to (or will).
Classic errors: (1) Using BE ABOUT TO for a non-imminent future: "I am about to go on vacation next month" = semantically INCORRECT. BE ABOUT TO implies seconds/minutes. Correct: "I am going to go on vacation next month." (2) Using BE GOING TO for extreme imminence: "The glass is going to fall" predicts an upcoming fall, but "the glass is ABOUT TO fall" (on the verge of falling = seconds) is more precise for something happening that instant. (3) "I am about to will call him" = INCORRECT. BE ABOUT TO + infinitive (no "will"): "I am about to CALL him." (4) "She is going to is calling" = INCORRECT. BE GOING TO + simple infinitive: "She is going to CALL."
The TIME TEST: SECONDS or MINUTES (happening right now)? = BE ABOUT TO. HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS, or MORE (planned future or prediction)? = BE GOING TO. Substitution test: can I say "in a few seconds/moments"? = BE ABOUT TO. Can I say "I have planned this" or "the evidence shows"? = BE GOING TO. "The meeting is about to start" = starts in seconds. "The meeting is going to start at 3 p.m." = planned for 3. GOING TO can also be imminent: "It is going to rain" (clouds suggest imminent rain). But BE ABOUT TO always implies MAXIMUM immediacy.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy