Master the Real Difference Between Will and Going To!

Welcome back to another episode of the Peach Teach English Podcast! In this lesson, we’re diving into an important grammar topic for intermediate learners: will vs going to.

In this episode, we’re going deeper than textbook definitions and learning how to choose the correct future form based on context, feeling, and meaning. You’ll hear how a native speaker actually uses these forms when talking about plans, predictions, promises, and offers through real-life examples — including my house construction plans and predictions about AI. By the end, you’ll feel more confident choosing between going to and will naturally in conversations.

This episode and transcript are perfect for B1–B2 English learners who want to strengthen their grammar through listening practice and better understand how future forms work in real-life English.

Subscribe to My Newsletter for Podcast Updates

Watch & Listen to the Peach Teach English Podcast:

📝 Episode 47 Transcript:

⏱ 00:00 Introduction to Will vs Going to

You probably learned that going to is for plans and will is for spontaneous decisions, and that's true, but it's only half the story because native speakers use both will and going to for plans — and both for predictions.

So what's really going on?

The difference isn't just planned versus spontaneous. It's about how certain you feel and how close the future feels right now.

In this lesson, I'll show you the complete picture — the part your textbook skipped. By the end, you'll understand the feeling behind each choice so you can use them naturally in real conversations.

⏱ 00:45 Difference Between Will and Going to

So let's start with what you already know.

Going to is for plans — things you've already decided.

I'm going to visit my sister next weekend.

Will is for spontaneous decisions — things you're deciding right now.

Someone offers you a coffee? Yes, I'll have some.

And both can be used for predictions.

It's going to rain.
It will rain.

So that's the textbook explanation, and it's correct, but it's incomplete.

So the real difference is about certainty and how close the future feels right now.

Going to — you can almost see it happening. It's connected to the present moment. There's evidence. It feels real.

Look at those dark clouds. It's going to rain. You see this evidence now.

I'm going to start that project tomorrow. It's decided, and it's definitely happening.

She's going to love this gift. I'm very confident in my prediction.

And then, will — you're imagining the future. It feels more distant, more abstract.

I think it will rain tomorrow. It's just your opinion, but there's no evidence.

One day I'll learn Italian. You want to, but you don't have a concrete plan.

Don't worry. Everything will be fine. You're reassuring someone, but you can't be 100% sure.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. This pattern applies even when you're talking about plans.

I'm going to call him tonight. I've decided, and I'm definitely doing it.

I'll call him tonight. Yeah, I might do it. I'm not as committed.

And with predictions too.

This movie is going to be amazing. I'm very confident.

This movie will probably be good. I'm not so sure.

So what about spontaneous decisions? When you're deciding something right now, in this moment, you have to use will.

The doorbell rings — oh, I'll get it.

Honey, we're out of milk. I'll go to the store.

There's no choice here. Will is the only option because the decision is happening right now as you speak. There was no plan.

So remember, going to means it's committed, certain, and close to now.

Will is more flexible, uncertain, and you're deciding right now.

Of course, native speakers don't always follow textbook rules. Language is flexible, and it's not about being perfect, but this framework will help you sound more natural in conversations.

And guys, if you want to review everything we've just covered, I've created a full transcript of this episode plus a grammar study guide. You can grab it using the link in the description or by scanning this QR code here on the screen. It's a great way to reinforce what you've just learned.

⏱ 03:54 Real-life Examples: Future Plans in English

And next, I'm going to give you examples talking about my future plans and predictions using Will and Going to.

I'm gonna start off talking about my future plans. Let's start closer to the present moment, and then we can go further, further into the future.

So, it's a Wednesday that I am recording this video, so there are still a few more weekdays, and I have a few things planned for the rest of the week.

One of the things that I have planned is I've actually been having a little bit of health problems.

I think it might be an allergy. We will see. That's my prediction.

I've gotten very sick about six times, so I have made a doctor's appointment. And on Friday morning, I'm going to see the general doctor to explain my situation and ask to see an allergist because I'd like to see a specialist to see if we can get to the bottom of what is going on.

Also on Friday, I'm going to update the courses in my student portal, specifically the idiom courses. I have a few new idiom lessons that I want to update there for my students.

And other than that, I really don't have that much planned.

My wife and I are thinking about going to our house construction site because we're building a house right now, but we're not sure. We might go, and I'll probably just relax this weekend.

I've been watching some TV series on Netflix, like Stranger Things. Love that show.

Maybe we'll go out to a restaurant on Saturday or Sunday 'cause sometimes we're lazy and don't want to cook on the weekends.

But yeah, that's pretty much what I have going on this week.

And for the rest of the year in 2026, I just plan on focusing on working and making great YouTube videos and podcasts for you.

And the plan is also to finish the house. I think we're going to move into the house this year in 2026, but we're not going to be able to finish the house until, I think, many years from now.

We're just focusing on the bottom floor.

And just to let you know, guys, I will be creating a video about the process of my house construction here in Colombia, so you can see it before there was a house and until where we are today with the house.

Yeah, let me know if you guys would be interested in seeing that video.

And I'm thinking I might travel again this year. I recently just went to California and Mexico, so I'm not sure I'll be able to travel again this year, but maybe at the end of the year, around November or December, I might travel to the US again so I can visit my family.

I miss them very much, but my mom is coming to visit me in March.

So next month, I'm going to get to spend time with my mom, and I'm going to take her to the house 'cause she's really excited to see what we've done with the construction.

And then after that, I'll probably take her to Guatape, which is a small little town near Medellin where I live, and I really recommend Googling it.

Guatape is absolutely gorgeous, and it's one of my mom's favorite towns in the world.

And I really think that's all I have planned for this year.

I'm kind of just taking it one day at a time.

I will say my focus in 2026 is to grow, but not without balance. I don't want to accept growth if that means it's bad for my health or my stress levels.

So I'm moving forward with growth without giving up my balance, and I feel really grounded in that decision.

Those are my future plans.

What are your plans for the rest of this year? I want you to tell me in the comments. I'd really love to read what you plan on doing this year.

⏱ 08:38 Real-life Examples: Future Predictions in English

Now that we finished talking about future plans, I want us to look at some real-life examples of predictions.

So, I'm gonna make some predictions about the future.

One of the things a lot of people are talking about today is related to AI, artificial intelligence, right?

Is AI going to take our jobs?
Is AI going to replace language teachers like me?

What is my prediction?

I think AI is incredible.

I actually use it every day to help me with content creation, lesson plans, or just talk about my thoughts in my head. I think AI might know too much about me, but will AI take our jobs and replace teachers?

I would say maybe partially. I don't see AI taking over completely.

I see AI advancing more and more.

It allows us to be super productive in such a short amount of time.

And if you're doing a job that can be automated, AI might take over that job.

I don't know if it would do it 100%. I don't really think so, but I think the opportunities are going to become less and less.

People are going to think twice about hiring people to do those jobs if they can be pretty efficient doing it themselves with AI, or maybe just the number of positions decrease because of the help with AI. You don't need as many people because of the productivity factor.

But at the same time, AI is making everything more competitive. The efficiency is not necessarily a competitive edge if everyone has access to it. So it's really just about keeping up with those productivity standards.

So in some ways, I don't think AI will just replace the jobs, but I do think workers need to know how to optimize AI to be able to streamline their processes and improve their productivity so that they can compete in the job market.

And then personally, as a language teacher, there are some really cool apps out there — like you can literally chat with AI.

Sometimes with ChatGPT, when I'm cooking, and I wanna talk about my thoughts, I just turn on the talking feature there, and I talk to AI. It responds to me. I talk back.

It's not always perfect and gives me some generic, annoying advice, but I do think the AI will get better and better.

You can literally just talk with ChatGPT. It can give you corrections, and you can improve your English using that.

And I know there are a lot of other AI apps out there that you can use, but is that a replacement for a teacher? I don't think so. Not for the people that are truly looking for guidance from a teacher. If you're just looking for easier ways to study on your own, sure — some people will opt out and use the AI option.

But I think a lot of people are still going to value having a human teacher, especially with language. Language is conversational. It is human. It's more than just getting it correct and talking to a robot.

The purpose of language is connection with real people.

And so I don't think we will ever lose that 100%, but I think a good teacher should use AI.

And I actually use an AI feedback system so my students get a feedback report, giving them a score on their fluency, on their mindset, corrections, vocabulary boosters, homework.

And this allows me to be super efficient and give information to my students every class to help them see what they're doing right and what they can do better.

Also, I'm able to use this AI to create more interesting content for you guys. Thanks to AI, I'm actually building courses for students so that you can easily study English every day, and sure, you could use AI to do some of these things.

But there are a few extra steps, right? And as your teacher, I am an expert, so I'm able to go use that AI and create something very efficiently and very helpful for you to help you improve in your English much faster.

So my prediction is no — AI is not going to take over all of our jobs, take over language teachers' jobs.

It just might make the market more competitive, and there will be some people that opt out because they want to take the cheaper option, which is AI.

At least I hope that to be true. I don't want to lose my job.

And so why don't you tell me — do you think AI is going to take your job in the future? Do you think AI will replace language teachers like me?

I'd really love to hear your predictions, so also share those with me in the comments.

⏱ 14:59 Uses of Will: Promises and Offers

And finally, guys, we need to look at promises and offers. And this one's where it's an obvious choice. We only use will with promises and offers.

So we use will with promises because it sounds really strong.

So, for example, if you study English every day for six months, you will improve your English. So I'm making this promise to you.

If you watch my B1 to B2 English series, you will become more fluent in English.

These are strong promises.

And when we talk about offers, we also use will.

You hear the phone ring, and you go, "Oh, I'll get it."

So in that moment, you're offering to go pick up the phone.

So when we're making these promises, or you're offering to help or do something, we only use will.

⏱ 16:00 Going to and Will Review

And so let's just review what's this real difference between will and going to.

So remember, it's not just planned versus spontaneous. It's about certainty and how close the future feels to you right now.

Going to is when you almost see it happening. There's evidence, you're committed to the plan. It feels real.

And will is when you're imagining the future. It's more distant, more uncertain, or you're deciding right now.

I really wanna hear from you, so please let me know in the comments what your plans are for this year and what predictions you have for the future.

And make sure you practice using will and going to. This is a really great exercise to use the grammar we just studied.

If you want to review today's explanation and examples, don't forget you can access the full transcript and study guide by using the link in the description or scanning this QR code on the screen. It's a great way to check your understanding, grow your vocabulary, and master these future forms.

Thanks for watching the Peach Teach English Podcast. I'm Frankie Mesmer, your host, and this channel is dedicated to taking you from B1 English to B2 English fluency and beyond.

Be sure to hit that like button if you enjoyed this video, subscribe so you don't miss the next one, and I'll see you in the next episode.

🔁 Will vs Going To Study Guide

Below, you will find a clear explanation of the difference between will and going to. You’ll learn when to use each form, how to structure them correctly, and see real examples from the podcast. You’ll also find comparison notes and practice questions to help you confidently talk about the future in English.

✅ What Is the Difference Between Will and Going To?

Both will and going to are used to talk about the future.

However, the real difference is not just “plans vs spontaneous decisions.”

The deeper difference is about:

• Certainty

• Evidence

• Commitment

• How close the future feels right now

Understanding this emotional difference will help you sound more natural in conversation.

✅ Structure 1: Going To

We use going to to talk about:

• Plans that are already decided

• Strong predictions based on evidence

• Things that feel committed and real

Structure:

Positive: Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb
👉 I’m going to visit my sister.

Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base verb
👉 I’m not going to go to the party.

📌 Examples from the Podcast:

• I’m going to see the general doctor on Friday.

• I think we’re going to move into the house this year.

• Look at those dark clouds. It’s going to rain.

• AI is going to continue advancing.

✅ Structure 2: Will

We use will to talk about:

• Spontaneous decisions (made at the moment of speaking)

• Predictions based on opinion

• Promises

• Offers

• Future ideas that feel less certain

Structure:

Positive: Subject + will + base verb
👉 I will call him.

Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + base verb
👉 I won’t go.

📌 Examples from the Podcast:

• I’ll get it.

• Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.

• I think AI will make the market more competitive.

• If you study every day, you will improve your English.

⚖️ Will vs Going To Comparison

Now let’s compare them clearly.

🟠 Going To

✔️ Stronger sense of commitment
✔️ Often based on evidence
✔️ Feels close to the present

🧠 Ask yourself: Is this already decided?

🔵 Will

✔️ More flexible
✔️ Used for spontaneous decisions
✔️ Used for promises and offers
✔️ Often opinion-based predictions

🧠 Ask yourself: Am I imagining this future right now?

🕒 Practice Time!

Use these questions to practice speaking or writing:

1️⃣ What are you going to do this weekend?

2️⃣ What do you think will change in your job in the next five years?

3️⃣ Make one strong prediction using going to.

4️⃣ Make one promise using will.

5️⃣ Describe one spontaneous decision you made recently.

Try to use both forms naturally in your answers.

💬 Want to Keep Practicing This Topic?

Join the Fluency Community for just $5/month and get access to:

✅ Reading & listening quizzes based on this episode
✅ Interactive chatbots to practice speaking and writing
✅ Daily English tasks
✅ All online courses in one place

✨ Plus, you’ll be supporting this podcast so I can keep creating lessons for you!

👉 Join the Community Today!

Have questions? Email me at [email protected]

🎯 Want to Practice Speaking English with Me?

English classes at Peach Teach English focus on real conversation and natural grammar, so you can speak confidently in everyday situations.

You can join group or private classes to start improving your English fluency today.

👉 Book your FREE consultation now

🚀 Ready to Level Up Your English?

This lesson is part of the B1 to B2 Study Guide, a complete series designed to help you move from intermediate to fluent English step by step.

You can check out the FREE study guide below and watch the video to get valuable tips and topics to help you reach B2 English fluency.

👉 Explore the B1 to B2 Study Guide