Present continuous for future - I'm going to...

Use the present continuous and the 'be going to' form to talk about future plans, arrangements, and intentions.

• Present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) is often used for fixed plans or arrangements, especially with a time or place.
• Be going to (am/is/are + going to + base verb) is used to express intentions or plans already decided, and predictions based on present evidence.
• Both forms can describe future events, but they differ in nuance: present continuous emphasizes arrangements; 'going to' emphasizes intention or prediction.

Decide whether you emphasize a plan already arranged (present continuous) or an intention/prediction ('be going to').

• Use present continuous for confirmed arrangements: specific time/place, booked appointments or scheduled meetings.
• Use 'be going to' for a decision already made but not necessarily scheduled, or for predictions with evidence.
• Both forms can sometimes be used; think about the speaker's focus: arrangement vs intention.

If you can imagine the event in your calendar or itinerary, the present continuous is often best.

Avoid these universal errors when using present continuous and 'be going to' for the future:

• Forgetting the auxiliary 'be' with -ing: 'I meeting' → incorrect. Correct: 'I am meeting'.
• Using 'going to' + -ing incorrectly: say 'is going to meet', not 'is going to meeting'.
• Confusing present simple for scheduled events without a clear timetable: 'The meeting starts tomorrow' (schedule) vs 'I'm starting tomorrow' (personal plan).
• Mixing tenses in the same sentence and losing clarity about whether something is arranged or just intended.

Check the auxiliary and verb form: 'am/is/are + -ing' or 'am/is/are + going to + base verb'.