Lezione 53 · Tappa 4: Tempi verbali e modali
“Was going to”
IntermedioForma e uso
was/were going to + verbo — un piano nel passato, spesso non realizzato
1.Forma
Was / were going to + forma base è going to portato nel passato: qualcosa che avevi intenzione di fare o che ti aspettavi che succedesse in quel momento.
| I / he / she / it | you / we / they | |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | I was going to call. | We were going to call. |
| Negativa | She wasn't going to say anything. | They weren't going to come. |
| Domanda | Was he going to stay? | Were you going to tell me? |
| Risposta breve | Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. | Yes, we were. / No, they weren't. |
Nel parlato veloce going to suona spesso come gonna: I was gonna call you. È utile riconoscerlo, ma per iscritto (esami, e-mail di lavoro) scrivi going to per intero.
2.Quando si usa
1. Un piano del passato che non si è realizzato, molto spesso seguito da but
I was going to cook tonight, but I got home too late.
Stasera volevo cucinare io, ma sono tornato a casa troppo tardi.
We were going to have a picnic, but it poured all afternoon.
Dovevamo fare un picnic, ma ha diluviato tutto il pomeriggio.
I wasn't going to buy anything, but the shoes were on sale.
Non avevo intenzione di comprare niente, ma le scarpe erano in saldo.
2. Una previsione fatta nel passato: allora sembrava sicuro che sarebbe successo (poi magari è successo, magari no)
Everyone knew the final was going to be close.
Tutti sapevano che la finale sarebbe stata combattuta.
I thought the meeting was going to finish early, but it went on until seven.
Pensavo che la riunione sarebbe finita presto, invece è andata avanti fino alle sette.
3. Stavi per fare qualcosa quando sei stato interrotto, spesso con just
I was just going to text you when you called!
Stavo proprio per scriverti quando mi hai chiamato!
Sorry, what were you going to say?
Scusa, cosa stavi per dire?
Un errore comune è “I am going to call you, but I forgot.” Se il piano appartiene al passato (but I forgot), anche going to va al passato: I was going to call you, but I forgot. Pensa all'italiano “volevo chiamarti”, non “voglio chiamarti”.
3.Confronto con forme simili
| Frase | Significato |
|---|---|
| I'm going to call her. | un piano di adesso, per il futuro |
| I was going to call her. | avevo in programma di chiamarla (di solito poi non l'ho fatto) |
| I called her. | l'ho chiamata davvero |
| I was calling her when… | stavo chiamando lei quando… |
| I would have called her, but… | l'avrei chiamata se qualcosa non me l'avesse impedito |
| She said she would call. | una promessa o una previsione vista dal passato |
Was going to sottolinea un piano o un'intenzione che c'era già; would dopo said / promised sottolinea una promessa o una previsione. Spesso vanno bene entrambi: He said he was going to fix it. / He said he would fix it.
4.Errori comuni
I was go to call you, but I forgot.I was going to call you, but I forgot.
La forma completa è was going to + verbo.
We are going to visit Hue last summer, but the flights were too expensive.We were going to visit Hue last summer, but the flights were too expensive.
Un piano nel passato → were, non are.
She was going to studied abroad.She was going to study abroad.
Dopo going to si usa la forma base del verbo.
I was going to finishing my essay, but I fell asleep.I was going to finish my essay, but I fell asleep.
Qui dopo to non va -ing.
My friends was going to come.My friends were going to come.
Soggetto plurale → were.
Esempi
- I was going to call you last night, but my phone died.
- We were going to eat out, but it rained, so we cooked at home.
- Sorry, I was going to tell you about the party, but I forgot.
- I was going to buy a new laptop, but then I saw the price.
