Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromi525]

1. I will be late.
2. I am going to be late.

3. She will slap you.
4. She is going to slap you.

I believe meanings of #1 and #2 are almost same.
but one teacher on TV said that there is a difference in nuance #3 and #4.
#3 means the situation which is happenig later.
#4 means the situation which is about to happen right now.

I don't understand why there is such a time difference.

[MauraS]

Hey Hiromi! I seem to keep seeing on here. You have interesting questions.

The difference between 'will' and 'going to' is subtle. In some cases there is almost no difference. And depending which resource you use it explains the different uses differently.

The simplest way I can describe it for you is...

We use 'will' when when something happens in the moment. Example: the phone rings. "I'll get it." To say "I am going to get it" sounds a bit strange.

We use 'going to' when it is a plan. Plans are generally further in the future. "I am going to China next year."

Search for yourself online and you will find a bunch of explanations for the difference.

Hope that helps a bit!

[Lorikeet]

Here is an example:

John is walking along the street, which is full of water from a big rain. A car is coming. I can see what is going to happen. I say, "Oh no, the car is going to get him all wet!" In that case, "The car will get him all wet." doesn't sound right.

[hiromi525]

"Oh no, the car is going to get him all wet!" - when something happens in the moment
"I'll get it." - when something happens in the moment
"I am going to China next year." - plan
"She is going to slap you. " - when something happens in the moment
"She will slap you"- action is happening later

I'm still confused.
I will keep these in mind without thinking about grammer.

Thank you Lorikeet, and MauraS