Level: Low Intermediate and Up
Pair with the Song: “Golden” (from the movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, 2025)
Recommended Video: the official lyric music video

It’s common to pronounce going as goin’ and going to as gonna in informal spoken English, and it’s super common in pop music. But goin’ and gonna are not interchangeable–they’re used in different situations. (The chorus of the song “Golden” contrasts situations 1 and 3: “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment…Gonna be, gonna be golden…”)

Situation 1:  When someone is moving from one place to another, going is pronounced goin’. If the preposition to is in the sentence, it is not dropped.  (“I’m goin’ to my apartment now.”) 
Situation 2:  When someone is talking about a future plan, going to is pronounced gonna. (“I’m gonna clean up the kitchen.”)
Situation 3:  When someone is making a prediction, going to is pronounced gonna. (“If I don’t clean up the kitchen, my roommate is gonna be really upset.”)

The worksheets below give students practice saying goin‘ and gonna in the right situations. The first worksheet, “Goin’ or Gonna?: Talking About Plans,” contrasts situations 1 and 2. The second worksheet, “Goin’ or Gonna?: Talking About Plans and Predictions,” contrasts situations 1, 2, and 3.

Worksheet 1
Goin‘ or Gonna: Talking About Plans, pdf: gonna, plans
Goin‘ or Gonna: Talking About Plans: webpage

Worksheet 2
Goin‘ or Gonna: Talking About Plans and Predictions, pdf: goin’ or gonna, plans and predictions
Goin‘ or Gonna: Talking About Plans and Predictions, webpage

The activities above focus on goin‘ vs. gonna. There are also activities on this site that focus solely on gonna. Please see:
Future with Gonna: Questions Beginning with Who’s gonna…
Future with Gonna: Talking About the Weather
Future with Gonna: Talking About Plans