Please which tense is it?

[M in MN]

Does some one know for sure which tense this is?

"am going to"
[as in : I am going to help you.]

Is it present progressive or future progressive or ??


Also, does that apply to:

'is going on' Specifically what tense is that?

[as in: What is going on is a top secret meeting.]


Thank you.

[Mister Micawber]

Please continue your questions on the same discussions in the same threads, MMN. I don't like repeating myself.

'To be going to' is an idiomatic future form, neither present progressive (which is another future form: 'I am helping you tomorrow morning') nor future progressive (which is yet another future form: 'I will be helping you tomorrow).

It does not apply to 'a top secret meeting is going on', which is not set in the future, but in the present. This is present progressive of the phrasal verb 'go on' (= 'occur').

I hope this helps.

[Steven D]

Does some one know for sure which tense this is?

"am going to"
[as in : I am going to help you.]

Is it present progressive or future progressive or ??


Also, does that apply to:

'is going on' Specifically what tense is that?

[as in: What is going on is a top secret meeting.]


Thank you.

Please refer to the PM you sent me. I answered there.

[Casiopea]

Actually, you don't have to repeat yourself, MM. You do in fact have the option of NOT replying. It's often the case that a poster will re-post the same question if s/he feels the response given was not adequate enough (i.e., couldn't understand it). And there's the added fact that this is a new forum, and some posters are having trouble navigating their way around. Please try to be a little more understanding.

[Mister Micawber]

I would also be interested in what X Mode had to say on the topic; it is more helpful if we all contribute on the same thread, so long as the topic does not wander, so that we can emend or enlarge upon our own statements in complement to what others have to say.

[Steven D]

I would also be interested in what X Mode had to say on the topic; it is more helpful if we all contribute on the same thread, so long as the topic does not wander, so that we can emend or enlarge upon our own statements in complement to what others have to say.

Here it is.


The "to" indicates that another verb will follow "be going". By itself "be going" is present progressive. If we add "to" to it, then we have "be going to". This is used to express or tell about something that happens in the future. There are various ways to express the future in English. Using "be going to" often indicates that the speaker has a plan or previous intentions to do something at the time of speaking.


be going to - This is one way to express the future in English. I wouldn't call it "future tense", however. Others would call it future tense. To me, there are just various ways to express the future in English. Each one has a reason to be used.