Key points
- Spontaneous intention: will, a decision made at the moment of speaking
- Planned intention: be going to, a decision already made before speaking
- Formal register: shall, mainly in the first person, for suggestions
- Lexical verbs: plan to, intend to, mean to
- Common mistake: confusing intention (will/going to) with a wish (would like to)
Expressing intention in English is not simply a matter of picking a future tense. The language draws a precise distinction between a decision made on the spot, a decision already made before speaking, and a mere wish with no firm commitment to act. This nuance is carried by the choice of modal or verb structure, a central point of the future in English that deserves detailed treatment given how many uses are involved.
Will: the spontaneous intention, decided at the moment of speaking
Will expresses a decision made at the precise moment of speaking, with no prior planning or reflection. This immediate reaction to a situation is the most characteristic use of will to express intention.
| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I’m tired. I think I will go to bed now. | Decision made right now, not planned earlier. |
| You dropped your pen. I’ll pick it up for you. | Spontaneous offer in reaction to what just happened. |
| The phone is ringing. I’ll answer it! | Immediate decision triggered by the situation. |
Will also expresses a promise, a spontaneous offer or an immediate commitment, uses that are very close to intention in the strict sense.
| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. | Promise made at the moment of speaking. |
| I’ll help you prepare for the test. | Immediate offer, not a pre-existing plan. |
Be going to: the planned intention, decided before speaking
Be going to is used when the decision was made before the moment of speaking. It signals a plan or intention already settled rather than an immediate reaction. This is one of the most poorly explained grammar points in the comparison going to or will, yet the criterion is simple: was the decision already made, or is it being made right now?
| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I’m going to quit my job. | Decision already made, not spontaneous. |
| I’m going to bake a cake. I’ve already bought all the ingredients. | Pre-existing plan, confirmed by the ingredients already purchased. |
| When I grow up, I’m going to be a pilot. | Long-held plan or ambition. |
The practical test for choosing between the two: if the decision can be rephrased as “I’ve just decided”, will fits. If it can be rephrased as “I’ve already planned to”, going to is the right choice. In practice, this boundary is stricter in writing than in speech, where the two forms are sometimes used interchangeably without causing misunderstanding.
Shall: the formal form, reserved for specific uses
Shall has largely fallen out of everyday English in favour of will, but remains in use in specific contexts: legal and contractual texts, where it carries an obligation close to duty, and first-person suggestions, especially in British English.
| English | Context |
|---|---|
| Shall we go? | Suggestion, informal British English |
| Shall I open the window? | Offering to do something, first person |
| The tenant shall pay the rent on the first of each month. | Legal or contractual obligation |
Lexical verbs for expressing intention
Beyond modals, several ordinary verbs directly express intention, each with nuances of firmness or specificity that are worth knowing.
| English | Meaning | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| to plan to | to plan to | Concrete plan, often organised in advance |
| to intend to | to intend to | More formal register, deliberate intention |
| to mean to | to mean to | Often used in the past for an unfulfilled intention (I meant to call you) |
| to be about to | to be on the verge of | Intention whose realisation is imminent |
| to be planning to | to be in the process of planning | Plan currently being organised |
| English | Notes |
|---|---|
| We plan to travel to Japan next year. | Concrete plan for the future |
| She intends to apply for the position. | Formal, deliberate intention |
| I meant to call you yesterday, but I forgot. | Unfulfilled past intention |
| The train is about to leave. | Imminent action |
Intention vs wish: a distinction not to miss
A common confusion is mixing up expressing an intention (a decision, even if not yet acted on) and expressing a wish (a desire, with no firm commitment to act). Would like to and want to belong to the second category and carry no settled decision, unlike going to or plan to.
| Intention (decision) | Wish (desire, no commitment) |
|---|---|
| I’m going to learn Spanish this year. | I would like to learn Spanish someday. |
| She plans to move to London. | She would love to live in London one day. |
This distinction between intention and wish, much more clearly marked in English than in many other languages, is covered in detail in expressing a wish in English, where the differences between would like, wish and hope are explained.
Summary table
| Form | Type of intention | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will | Spontaneous, decided on the spot | I’ll do it now. |
| be going to | Planned, decided before speaking | I’m going to do it tomorrow. |
| shall | Suggestion or contractual register | Shall we start? |
| plan to / intend to | Concrete or deliberate plan | I intend to finish this week. |
| be about to | Imminent | I’m about to leave. |
| would like to | Wish, no commitment | I would like to travel more. |
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is using will for a plan already decided days ago, when going to is required. Saying I will study tonight for a pre-existing plan sounds less natural than I’m going to study tonight.
The second mistake is using going to for a prediction with no visible evidence. Saying It is going to rain with no clouds on the horizon or observable meteorological clue sounds forced; will is the appropriate form for a general prediction with no immediate observable basis.
The third mistake is using would like to where a real intention is being expressed, which weakens the message. Saying I would like to finish this project to announce a concrete, planned goal is far less direct than I’m going to finish this project.
Practice quiz
Test your knowledge:
1. The phone is ringing. You decide to answer right now. What do you say?
2. You have already bought the ingredients for a cake. What do you say?
3. What does “to be about to” mean?
4. Which sentence expresses a wish rather than a firm intention?
5. In which context is shall still most commonly used today?
6. What does “to mean to” in the past (I meant to call you) express?
