The Future: will and be going to

English has two common ways to talk about the future: 'will' and 'be going to'. We use 'will' + the base form of the verb for predictions based on what we think or believe ('I think it will rain tomorrow') and for spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking ('The phone is ringing. I will answer it'). We use 'be going to' (am/is/are going to) + the base form for plans and intentions we decided before speaking ('We are going to visit our grandmother next week') and for predictions based on present evidence we can see right now. For example: 'Look at those clouds! It is going to rain.' To make a negative we add 'not' ('will not / won't', 'is not going to'), and to make a question we put 'will' before the subject ('Will you help me?') or change the order with 'be' ('Are you going to study?'). Choosing between the two depends on the context: a plan or visible evidence means 'be going to', while a guess or an on-the-spot decision means 'will'.