Future in the Past: Was Going To, Would, Was About To
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'was going to', 'would', or 'was about to' to describe an event that was in the future relative to a past point.
- Use 'was going to' for planned actions: 'I was going to call you.'
- Use 'would' for future-in-the-past predictions: 'I knew it would rain.'
- Use 'was about to' for immediate actions: 'I was about to leave.'
Overview
- She was going to apply for the job, but she missed the deadline.
- We were going to travel last summer, but the trip was cancelled.
- He knew it would take a long time.
- She said she would call me back. (reported:
I will call you back.
) - It was clear the storm would cause problems.
- I was about to leave when the phone rang.
- She was about to give up when she found the answer.
- The train was due to arrive at 9am.
- The prime minister was due to speak at the conference.
- He was supposed to fix the leak last week. (but he didn't)
- We were supposed to meet at noon.
Future in the Past Conjugation
| Subject | Was/Were | Going to/About to | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I
|
was
|
going to
|
call
|
|
You
|
were
|
going to
|
call
|
|
He/She/It
|
was
|
going to
|
call
|
|
We
|
were
|
going to
|
call
|
|
They
|
were
|
going to
|
call
|
|
I
|
was
|
about to
|
leave
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction |
|---|---|
|
I was not
|
I wasn't
|
|
We were not
|
We weren't
|
|
He would not
|
He wouldn't
|
Meanings
These structures allow speakers to express a future perspective from a point in the past. It bridges the gap between what was expected and what actually happened.
Planned Intentions
Describing a plan made in the past that may or may not have been completed.
“I was going to finish the report yesterday.”
“We were going to visit Paris, but we changed our minds.”
Past Predictions
Using 'would' as the past form of 'will' for predictions.
“He promised he would be here by noon.”
“I felt sure that the team would win.”
Imminent Action
Describing an action that was just about to happen.
“I was about to call you when you walked in.”
“The train was about to leave the station.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Sub + was/were + going to + V
|
I was going to study.
|
|
Negative
|
Sub + was/were + not + going to + V
|
I wasn't going to study.
|
|
Question
|
Was/Were + Sub + going to + V?
|
Were you going to study?
|
|
Prediction
|
Sub + would + V
|
I knew it would work.
|
|
Imminent
|
Sub + was/were + about to + V
|
I was about to sleep.
|
|
Negative Imminent
|
Sub + was/were + not + about to + V
|
I wasn't about to quit.
|
औपचारिकता का स्तर
I intended to complete the task. (Work/Professional)
I was going to complete the task. (Work/Professional)
I was gonna finish it. (Work/Professional)
I was gonna get it done. (Work/Professional)
Future in the Past Map
Intentions
- was going to planned action
Predictions
- would future from past
Imminence
- was about to very soon
Usage Comparison
Decision Flowchart
Is it a plan?
Is it a prediction?
स्तर के अनुसार उदाहरण
I was going to eat.
Yo iba a comer.
He was going to run.
Él iba a correr.
We were going to sleep.
Íbamos a dormir.
She was going to play.
Ella iba a jugar.
He said he would come.
Dijo que vendría.
I was about to leave.
Estaba a punto de irme.
They were going to visit us.
Iban a visitarnos.
She promised she would help.
Prometió que ayudaría.
I didn't know it would rain.
No sabía que llovería.
We were going to buy a car, but it was too expensive.
Íbamos a comprar un coche, pero era muy caro.
The movie was about to start when we arrived.
La película estaba a punto de empezar cuando llegamos.
He claimed he would finish by Friday.
Afirmó que terminaría para el viernes.
I was going to mention it, but you interrupted me.
Iba a mencionarlo, pero me interrumpiste.
Little did I know that I would regret that decision.
No sabía que me arrepentiría de esa decisión.
The company was about to collapse before the merger.
La empresa estaba a punto de colapsar antes de la fusión.
She was going to be the next manager, but she resigned.
Iba a ser la próxima gerente, pero renunció.
I had no idea that my life would change so drastically.
No tenía idea de que mi vida cambiaría tan drásticamente.
They were going to have been married for ten years by then.
Habrían estado casados por diez años para entonces.
The situation was about to escalate into a full-blown crisis.
La situación estaba a punto de escalar a una crisis total.
He insisted he would never betray his principles.
Insistió en que nunca traicionaría sus principios.
It was destined that he would eventually return to his roots.
Estaba destinado a que eventualmente regresara a sus raíces.
Had I known, I would have acted differently.
Si hubiera sabido, habría actuado de manera diferente.
The project was about to be abandoned, yet it survived.
El proyecto estaba a punto de ser abandonado, sin embargo sobrevivió.
She was going to be the one to solve the riddle.
Ella iba a ser la que resolviera el acertijo.
आसानी से भ्रमित होने वाले
Both talk about the past, but 'used to' is for states/habits, while 'would' is for future-in-the-past.
Both indicate a past plan, but 'about to' implies it was happening right now.
Learners often use 'will' in past stories.
सामान्य गलतियाँ
I was go to eat.
I was going to eat.
I will go to eat yesterday.
I was going to eat yesterday.
He say he will come.
He said he would come.
I was about eat.
I was about to eat.
I was going to went.
I was going to go.
She said she will be late.
She said she would be late.
They were about leave.
They were about to leave.
I would go to the store yesterday.
I was going to go to the store yesterday.
He said he would have come.
He said he would come.
I was about to have left.
I was about to leave.
The plan was that he would have been going to arrive.
The plan was that he would arrive.
I was about to be leaving.
I was about to leave.
She would be going to win.
She was going to win.
He said he would be going to call.
He said he would call.
वाक्य संरचनाएँ
I was going to ___ but I changed my mind.
I knew it would ___ eventually.
I was about to ___ when the phone rang.
He promised he would ___ no matter what.
Real World Usage
I was gonna be there at 5, but traffic was bad.
I was going to implement a new system, but the budget was cut.
I thought this would be the best vacation ever! #disappointed
The flight was about to depart when they announced a delay.
I was about to order pizza when I saw the delivery fee.
The researchers initially thought the results would be conclusive.
The 'Will' Rule
Don't use 'would' for plans
Use 'about to' for drama
Informal Speech
Smart Tips
Always check if the original quote had 'will'. If yes, change it to 'would'.
Use 'was about to' to add tension.
Use 'was going to' to show the plan existed but didn't happen.
Use 'would' to show you had a feeling about the future.
उच्चारण
Gonna
In informal speech, 'going to' is often reduced to 'gonna'.
Would
The 'l' is silent.
Falling intonation
I was going to ↘leave.
Statements of fact.
याद करें
स्मृति सहायक
W.W.A. — Was going to, Would, About to. Think of it as a 'Past-Future' sandwich.
दृश्य संबंध
Imagine a time machine. You are in the past looking forward at a clock. The clock shows what you thought would happen.
Rhyme
When the past is the base, and the future is the case, use 'would' or 'going to' to keep up the pace.
Story
Yesterday, I was going to buy bread. I thought it would be cheap. I was about to pay when I realized I forgot my wallet.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Write 3 sentences about your day yesterday using 'was going to', 'would', and 'was about to'.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
Very common to use 'gonna' in spoken contexts.
More formal usage of 'would' in reported speech.
Often uses 'was about to' to emphasize urgency.
These constructions evolved from the Germanic roots of 'will' (willan) and 'go' (gan).
बातचीत की शुरुआत
What were you going to do yesterday before you got busy?
Did you ever have a plan that you knew would fail?
Tell me about a time you were about to do something but stopped.
How has your perspective on your future changed since last year?
डायरी विषय
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Test Yourself
I ___ (go) to the party, but I got sick.
Find and fix the mistake:
He said he will be here at 5.
Which sentence is correct?
She said: 'I will call you.'
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
to / I / about / leave / was
I knew the project ___ succeed.
We ___ (visit) London, but we went to Rome instead.
Score: /8
अभ्यास प्रश्न
8 exercisesI ___ (go) to the party, but I got sick.
Find and fix the mistake:
He said he will be here at 5.
Which sentence is correct?
She said: 'I will call you.'
Match 'I was about to cry' with its meaning.
to / I / about / leave / was
I knew the project ___ succeed.
We ___ (visit) London, but we went to Rome instead.
Score: /8
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (8)
No, 'would' is for predictions or reported speech. Use 'was going to' for plans.
'Was going to' is a plan. 'Was about to' means it was happening in seconds.
Because you are reporting a past event. The perspective has shifted.
Only in informal writing like texting or social media. Avoid in essays.
Yes, but that is a different rule (past habits), not future-in-the-past.
You can still use 'was going to'. It just describes the intention at that time.
It is neutral and can be used in almost any context.
Add 'not' after 'was/were'. 'I was not going to go.'
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Ir a + infinitive
Spanish uses the conditional tense for reported future, whereas English uses 'would'.
Aller + infinitive
French uses the conditional for reported speech, similar to Spanish.
Werde + infinitive
German does not have a direct 'was going to' equivalent; it uses past tense + adverbials.
Tsumori datta
Japanese lacks a direct modal equivalent to 'would' for future-in-the-past.
Kana + sa/sawfa
Arabic morphology is highly synthetic compared to English's analytic structure.
Yuanlai + hui
Chinese does not conjugate verbs; it relies on time markers and context.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
संबंधित वीडियो
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