Lição 53 · Etapa 4: Tempos verbais e modais
“Was going to”
IntermédioForma e uso
was/were going to + verbo — um plano no passado, muitas vezes que não aconteceu
1.Forma
Was / were going to + forma base é o going to levado para o passado: algo que você pretendia fazer ou esperava que acontecesse naquela época.
| I / he / she / it | you / we / they | |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | I was going to call. | We were going to call. |
| Negativa | She wasn't going to say anything. | They weren't going to come. |
| Pergunta | Was he going to stay? | Were you going to tell me? |
| Resposta curta | Yes, he was. / No, he wasn't. | Yes, we were. / No, they weren't. |
Na fala rápida, going to muitas vezes soa como gonna: I was gonna call you. É bom reconhecer, mas na escrita (provas, e-mails de trabalho) escreva o going to completo.
2.Quando usar
1. Um plano do passado que não aconteceu — muitas vezes seguido de but
I was going to cook tonight, but I got home too late.
Eu ia cozinhar hoje à noite, mas cheguei em casa tarde demais.
We were going to have a picnic, but it poured all afternoon.
A gente ia fazer um piquenique, mas choveu a tarde inteira.
I wasn't going to buy anything, but the shoes were on sale.
Eu não ia comprar nada, mas os sapatos estavam em promoção.
2. Uma previsão feita no passado — naquela época parecia certo que ia acontecer (depois pode ter acontecido ou não)
Everyone knew the final was going to be close.
Todo mundo sabia que a final ia ser apertada.
I thought the meeting was going to finish early, but it went on until seven.
Achei que a reunião ia terminar cedo, mas ela foi até as sete.
3. Estar prestes a fazer algo quando foi interrompido — muitas vezes com just
I was just going to text you when you called!
Eu ia te mandar uma mensagem agorinha mesmo quando você ligou!
Sorry, what were you going to say?
Desculpe, o que você ia dizer?
Um erro comum é “I am going to call you, but I forgot.” Se o plano pertence ao passado (but I forgot), o going to também vai para o passado: I was going to call you, but I forgot. Pense no português “eu ia te ligar”, e não “eu vou te ligar”.
3.Comparado com formas parecidas
| Frase | Significado |
|---|---|
| I'm going to call her. | um plano agora, para o futuro |
| I was going to call her. | eu pretendia ligar para ela antes (geralmente não liguei) |
| I called her. | eu realmente liguei para ela |
| I was calling her when… | eu estava no meio da ligação para ela quando… |
| I would have called her, but… | eu teria ligado para ela se algo não tivesse me impedido |
| She said she would call. | uma promessa ou previsão vista a partir do passado |
Was going to destaca um plano ou intenção que já existia; would depois de said / promised destaca uma promessa ou previsão. Muitas vezes as duas formas servem: He said he was going to fix it. / He said he would fix it.
4.Erros comuns
I was go to call you, but I forgot.I was going to call you, but I forgot.
A forma completa é 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.
Um plano no passado → were, e não are.
She was going to studied abroad.She was going to study abroad.
Depois de going to, use a forma base do verbo.
I was going to finishing my essay, but I fell asleep.I was going to finish my essay, but I fell asleep.
Aqui não se usa -ing depois de to.
My friends was going to come.My friends were going to come.
Sujeito no plural → were.
Exemplos
- 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.
