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'Be about to' signals something happening very soon; 'be going to' expresses plans or predictions.
Side-by-side comparison
Use it when something is going to happen in seconds or minutes. It signals total immediacy. If you can plan it for tomorrow or next week, use "going to".
The teacher is about to start the lesson, please sit down.
She was about to leave when her phone rang with an urgent call.
Be quiet, the movie is about to begin.
Use it for decided plans or predictions based on something you can see right now. It does not have to be immediate; it can be this afternoon or next year.
It's going to rain this afternoon, you should take an umbrella.
She's going to study medicine at university next year.
If you don't study, you're going to fail the exam.
Common mistake
- •Saying "I'm about to go on vacation next month" is wrong: "be about to" means something happening in seconds, not weeks.
- •For future plans use "be going to": "I'm going to go on vacation next month".
Trick to remember it
- •Does it happen in seconds? Use "about to".
- •Does it happen in hours, days, or weeks? Use "going to".
Quick rule
- •"Be about to" = extremely imminent (seconds away).
- •"Be going to" = plan or prediction for any future time.
Did you know?
"Be about to" is what linguists call the immediate prospective aspect: the action is so close it has already begun cognitively. French: "être sur le point de". Portuguese: "estar prestes a". Every major language independently found the same solution for that moment when the future is almost the present.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Quick! The bus _____ leave! Run!
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She already bought the ticket. She _____ fly to Mexico next month.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Going to' expresses a prior plan or evidence-based prediction; 'will' expresses a spontaneous decision or general prediction.
Present simple expresses facts, routines, and permanent truths; present continuous expresses current or temporary actions.
Present simple can express future when an event has a fixed official schedule; otherwise use 'will' or 'going to'.
'Zero conditional' expresses general truths (if + present); 'first conditional' expresses possible future situations.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy