Going to questions
We use “going to” to talk about the future in much the same way as we use the word “will“. These going to conversation questions make practicing the structure interesting for ESL students and anyone else learning English.
There are 3 separate printables of varying difficulty with the first being the easiest and the last being the most difficult. Most of the questions also have further follow-up questions for more dialogue. These can be ignored if you like but make sure that students use “going to” in their responses, Basic Yes/No or 2 to 3-word answers are not going to help them as much as answering in complete sentences.
For more advanced classes you may want to mention that the informal term “gonna” is often used by native English speakers instead of “going to” (in speech not in writing).
The first free printable above contains these going to questions –
What are you going to do tonight? What time are you going to sleep?
What are you going to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Who will cook it?
What are you going to do this weekend? Where will you go?
Where are you going to go next time you travel? How will you get there?
What is the weather going to be like this week? Do you like this weather?
Who is the next person you are going to visit? Where do they live?
Are you going to watch television this week? What are you going to watch?
What are you going to do on your next birthday? How old will you be?
Are you going to play any sports this week? What sports will you play or do?
What kind of music are you going to listen to next? What is the name of the band?
What time are you going to wake up tomorrow? What is the first thing you will do?
Are you going to live in the same town or city forever? Where will you go?
What are you going to drink next? Where are you going to buy it?
When are you going to clean your home? How much time is it going to take you?
What are you going to do when you are 70 years old? Are you going to be happy?
Are you going to buy a pet in the future? What kind of animal are you going to buy?
What is the next thing you are going to talk about with your best friend?
When are you next going to go to see a dentist or a doctor?
Who are you going to call next on your phone? Why are you going to call them?
Are you going to eat any green vegetables this week? Which vegetables?
What is something that you are going to learn this year? Why?
Are you going to go shopping this month? What are you going to buy?
Are you going to get married and have children? When are you going to do this?
What job are you going to have in 10 years’ time from now?
Going to questions 2
Sheet 2 has more challenging vocabulary so the going to conversation questions are a bit more complex.
The more advanced words in this speaking activity include – wealthy, get-together, occasion, celebrate, public, physical, foreign, tattoo, and nature.
The second set of going to questions are –
What is something exciting that you are going to do in your lifetime?
Are you going to be wealthy or poor when you are older? Why do you think so?
When are you going to get a haircut? What is it going to look like?
Is your family going to have a get-together soon? What is the occasion?
How are you going to celebrate the next public holiday? What is the holiday about?
When are you going to next use public transport? Where will you go?
What season is it going to be in 4 months from now? Do you like this season?
Are you going to use the internet today? What are you going to use it for?
What is the next kind of physical exercise you are going to do? Will you do it alone?
Are you going to do any kind of gardening soon? What are you going to grow?
When are you next going to take photographs? What pictures are you going to take?
Are you going to buy a new car one day? What kind of car do you hope to buy?
What are you going to do the next time the weather is cold and rainy?
Are you going to visit a foreign country one day? Which country are going to go to?
Who in your family is going to be the most successful? What are they going to do?
Do you think that your hometown is going to change a lot in the future? In what way?
Are you going to do any painting or drawing soon? What is it going to be of?
When are you next going to cook a meal? What are you going to cook and who for?
Are you going to get any tattoos on your body? What tattoos are you going to get?
What clothing are you going to wear tomorrow? Why are you going to dress this way?
Are you going to start any new hobbies soon? What hobbies would you like to try?
What are your best friends going to do this week? Are you going to join them?
Are you going to give anyone a gift soon? What are you going to give them and why?
When are next you going to visit a place full of nature? Where are you going to go?
Going to questions 3
Page 3 of the going to discussion questions is the most difficult of the lot. You may need to pre-teach some of the words to ESL learners before starting the conversation.
The hardest terms on this worksheet are – goals, achieve, style, fashion, diet, natural disaster, flood, charity, aging, deal with, scandal, social media, global warming, crisis, conquer, celebration, AI, and replace.
The third free PDF printable has these going to questions –
What is an adventure that you are going to go on one day? Who will you go with?
Are you going to build or make something soon? What are you going to make?
When are you next going to the beach or ocean? What are you going to do there?
How many different jobs do you think you are going to have in your lifetime?
Have you set any goals in life that you are sure you are going to achieve?
Do you think you are going to change your style and fashion as you get older?
Are you going to go on a diet or change what you eat? How will it be different?
Is your family going to use less electricity in the future? Why or why not?
What is the last thing you are going to do tonight before you go to sleep?
Is your mother going to be busy this week? What is she going to be doing?
Are you going to get a new computer this year? What kind of computer?
What are you going to do if a major natural disaster like a flood hits your city?
Are you going to give to charity one day? What charity are you going to give to?
How is your body going to change with aging? How are you going to deal with this?
Who is the next famous person that is going to have a scandal? What about?
Are you going to use any new social media soon? What will you use and why?
When is the next time you plan on going to a mountain? How high is the mountain?
What are you going to do this summer? Do you have any special plans for this time?
When do you think humans are going to go to another planet? Which planet?
Is our planet going to have a global warming crisis? What is going to happen?
Are you hoping to conquer one of your fears one day? How are you going to do it?
Is your school or company going to have any kind of celebration or event soon?
Are robots and AI going to replace human workers in the future? How?
How many people are going to be living on planet Earth in 50 years’ time from now?