Will and Going

A very common mistake, particularly among students who have been taught "in English, the future = will". The student needs to know that, when talking/asking about future plans or arrangements, the Present Progressive (Are you going?), the Future Progressive (Will you be going?) or the 'going to + infinitive' form (Are you going to go?) is needed.

Many students do not realize that to use the interrogative will, instead of an alternative future form (are you going/will you be going/are you going to go, etc) can turn a simple inquiry about someone else's plans or arrangements into a direct - often rude - request.

NB: The possibility that the student actually intended the above question to be a request - though unlikely - should not be ruled out.

See: http://forums.delphiforums.com/UsingEnglish/messages?msg=3229.1