ESL Grammar: FUTURE TENSE (8) – “gonna”

This ESL grammar lesson teaches students about the use of “gonna,” which is an informal way to say “going to” in spoken English. This lesson is meant to give students an understanding of how the future tense is actually spoken in everyday situations.

ESL Grammar: Understanding “Gonna”

“Gonna” is the informal contraction of “going to,” commonly used in spoken English to indicate future plans or intentions. Here are some examples:

• I ‘m gonna visit my friends next weekend.
• She ‘s gonna start a new project tomorrow.
• They ‘re gonna travel to Italy next month.

ESL Grammar: When to Use “Gonna”

“Gonna” is typically used in casual conversations and informal contexts. It conveys the same meaning as “going to” but with a more relaxed tone. Here are some situations where “gonna” is appropriate:

• Casual conversations with friends and family: I ‘m gonna watch a movie tonight.
• Informal settings and spoken English: They ‘re gonna have a party next Friday.

The English grammar lesson below introduces the use of “gonna” to express the future tense in informal and casual spoken English. Our series of ESL grammar lessons on subjects and verbs introduce these concepts and reinforce them through helpful and instructive exercises.

This lesson is available for free download, and you can download many more English grammar lessons focusing on basic English tenses (present tense, present continuous tense, past tense, future tense) in our comprehensive, beginner-level ESL grammar textbook Great, Great Grammar! (Book 2: Tenses).