Be Going To Statements ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets

Understanding Be Going To Statements

Be going to statements are sentences that express a person's plans, intentions, or predictions about the future using the structure 'subject + be going to + verb', such as 'I'm going to call her later' or 'It's going to rain.' When students leave out the correct form of 'be' or confuse full and contracted forms, their sentences break down and listeners struggle to follow their intended meaning.

This page covers be going to statements at Elementary (A1-A2) and Pre-intermediate (A2) levels, with twelve activities ranging from pair worksheets and card games to group miming games, including two free downloads.

3-Step Framework for Teaching Be Going To Statements

1. Build Accuracy Through Prediction: Start with a pair activity where students write 'be going to' sentences predicting their partner's future plans before any conversation takes place. Each student reads their guesses aloud, for example 'I think you are going to have fish for dinner tonight', and their partner confirms or corrects each one, producing a negative and then a corrected affirmative sentence where needed. This predict-read-respond loop locks in both forms quickly and generates a lot of target language in a short time.

2. Teach the Three Functions Together: Once students have a feel for the structure, introduce all three uses of 'be going to', namely plans, intentions, and predictions, with clear examples and controlled exercises. Then move to a freer task where students write sentences about what they think they are going to be like in the year 2050 and share them with their group. Grounding the grammar in real personal imagination gives students a genuine reason to produce the language.

3. Push for Fluency with a High-Energy Group Game: Finish with a miming game that demands fast, accurate 'be going to' production under pressure. One student mimes the preparation steps for a planned activity but stops just before the activity itself and asks 'What am I going to do?' Their team confers and answers using 'You're going to...' before the opposing team can steal the point. The combination of physical performance, peer pressure, and team scoring keeps every student producing the target language right to the end.

Common Questions About Teaching Be Going To Statements

How do I teach be going to affirmative and negative statements to Elementary students?

'Be going to' worksheets help Elementary students practice both affirmative and negative forms together. In free Be Going To Practice, each student secretly chooses three items to take on holiday from a box, then takes turns asking their partner 'Are you going to take...?' questions to find the three chosen items, giving controlled practice that feels like genuine conversation.

What is a good game for practicing be going to statements in the classroom?

Card games give students rapid, repeated practice making 'be going to' statements. In What am I going to do?, students pick up a card and give their partner a clue, such as 'I'm going to read my textbook.' Their partner guesses the activity on the card. A wrong guess earns up to three more clues before the card changes hands.

How can I get students to practice be going to in a speaking activity?

Speaking activities work better when students talk about their own lives. In free I'm going to improve my English, students brainstorm ways to improve English across six categories, pick six intentions, and write a 'be going to' sentence for each, such as 'I'm going to speak English for one hour a day.' They then pair up to compare their choices.