Will vs. Going to vs. Present Continuous (for future) – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are at a restaurant reviewing the menu, talking to the waiter, and discussing your evening plans with your friends. Choose the correct future form (A, B, C, or D) to complete the conversations naturally.
1 Waiter: “Are you ready to order, sir?”
Customer: “Yes, I think ______ the grilled salmon, please.”
(A) I am going to have
(B) I am having
(C) I will have
(D) I have
2 Waiter: “Would you like something to drink with your meal?”
Customer: “Hmm, I haven’t thought about it. Okay, ______ a glass of sparkling water.”
(A) I’ll take
(B) I take
(C) I am taking
(D) I’m going to take
3 Friend: “Look at the time! What time ______?”
You: “The sign says it closes at exactly 10:30 PM tonight.”
(A) does the restaurant close
(B) is the restaurant closing
(C) will the restaurant close
(D) is the restaurant going to close
4 Friend: “Have you decided what to eat yet?”
You: “I am completely full from lunch, so ______ any starters tonight.”
(A) I won’t to order
(B) I’m not going to order
(C) I don’t order
(D) I am not order
5 Waiter: “I’m sorry, but we have run out of the mushroom soup.”
Customer: “Oh, really? In that case, ______ the tomato soup instead.”
(A) I am trying
(B) I am going to try
(C) I try
(D) I’ll try
6 Friend: “What are your plans for tomorrow evening?”
You: “I ______ dinner with Sarah at the new Italian place. We booked the table yesterday.”
(A) am having
(B) will have
(C) have
(D) will be have
7 Waiter: “Oh no, you dropped your fork! Don’t worry, sir, ______ you a clean one right away.”
(A) I am bringing
(B) I am going to bring
(C) I’ll bring
(D) I bring
8 Friend: “Look at those huge dark clouds outside the window!”
You: “Oh wow. It ______ heavily very soon. Good thing we are inside!”
(A) will raining
(B) is going to rain
(C) rains
(D) is raining
9 Friend: “Do we have time for dessert?”
You: “We need to hurry. Our train back home ______ at 9:15 PM.”
(A) is leaving
(B) will leave
(C) is going to leave
(D) leaves
10 Waiter: “How would you like your steak cooked?”
Customer: “I’m not sure… actually, ______ it medium-rare, please.”
(A) I’ll have
(B) I am having
(C) I’m going to have
(D) I have
11 Friend: “Why did you bring your laptop to the restaurant?”
You: “Because I ______ some emails while I wait for my food.”
(A) send
(B) am sending
(C) am going to send
(D) will sending
12 Friend: “This menu is too expensive. Let’s go somewhere else.”
You: “Good idea. Wait, let me get my coat and I ______ you at the door.”
(A) meet
(B) am meeting
(C) am going to meet
(D) will meet
13 Waiter: “The chef’s special tonight is the roasted duck.”
Customer: “That sounds delicious! ______ that.”
(A) I’m going to order
(B) I’ll order
(C) I order
(D) I am ordering
14 Friend: “Are we going to the cinema after we eat?”
You: “Yes, we need to eat quickly. The movie ______ at 8:00 PM sharp.”
(A) is starting
(B) starts
(C) will start
(D) is going to start
15 You: “Excuse me, this chicken is completely cold.”
Waiter: “I sincerely apologize! I ______ it back to the kitchen immediately.”
(A) am taking
(B) take
(C) will take
(D) am going to take
16 Friend: “I can’t decide between the chocolate cake and the cheesecake.”
You: “I’ve had the cheesecake here before. I promise you ______ it!”
(A) will love
(B) are loving
(C) are going to love
(D) love
17 Waiter: “Here is your bill. Will you be paying together or separately?”
Customer: “We’ll split it. I ______ pay for my half with cash.”
(A) am going to
(B) will
(C) am paying
(D) pay
18 Friend: “I called the manager this morning. We ______ a private party in this room next Saturday.”
(A) have
(B) will have
(C) are having
(D) will having
19 Waiter: “Would you like me to pack the leftover pizza in a box for you?”
Customer: “Yes, please. I ______ it for lunch tomorrow.”
(A) am going to eat
(B) eat
(C) will to eat
(D) am eating
20 Friend: “I forgot my wallet at the hotel!”
You: “Don’t panic! I ______ for the dinner tonight. You can pay me back tomorrow.”
(A) am paying
(B) pay
(C) am going to pay
(D) ‘ll pay
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) I will have
Why it is correct: When ordering food in a restaurant, you are making a spontaneous decision at the exact moment of speaking. Therefore, you must use “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (B) imply you planned this yesterday before even seeing the menu. (D) is present simple, used for routines, not future choices.
2 (A) I’ll take
Why it is correct: The speaker literally says “I haven’t thought about it,” proving this is a sudden, on-the-spot decision. “Will” (contracted to ‘ll) is the only correct choice.
Distractor Analysis: (C) and (D) are for pre-made plans. (B) is a grammar error for this context.
3 (A) does the restaurant close
Why it is correct: For fixed schedules, timetables, and official opening/closing times of businesses, we use the Present Simple tense, even if the event is in the future.
Distractor Analysis: (B), (C), and (D) are incorrect because official schedules are treated as facts, requiring present simple.
4 (B) I’m not going to order
Why it is correct: The speaker has already decided they are full and formed an intention not to eat starters before the waiter even asked. For personal plans and intentions, we use “going to”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) has a structural error (“won’t to”). (C) and (D) are grammatically invalid for future intentions.
5 (D) I’ll try
Why it is correct: The customer just found out the mushroom soup is gone. They are reacting and making a new, instant decision based on this new information. This requires “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (B) imply the customer knew the mushroom soup was gone before arriving. (C) is present simple.
6 (A) am having
Why it is correct: The phrase “We booked the table yesterday” proves this is a fixed arrangement involving other people and a specific time/place. We use the Present Continuous for fixed future arrangements.
Distractor Analysis: (B) is for spontaneous decisions. (C) is for timetables. (D) is structurally incorrect.
7 (C) I’ll bring
Why it is correct: The waiter is making a spontaneous offer to help right after seeing the fork drop. Offers and instant reactions use “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (B) would mean the waiter planned to bring a clean fork before the customer even dropped the old one!
8 (B) is going to rain
Why it is correct: We use “going to” when we make a prediction based on clear, present evidence (the huge dark clouds outside).
Distractor Analysis: (A) is structurally invalid. (C) and (D) describe current routines or actions happening right now, not a prediction of the near future.
9 (D) leaves
Why it is correct: Train schedules, flights, and public transport operate on fixed official timetables. Therefore, we use the Present Simple tense.
Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) are incorrect for public timetables.
10 (A) I’ll have
Why it is correct: The hesitation (“I’m not sure… actually…”) shows the customer is deciding right at that exact moment. This spontaneous decision requires “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (B) and (C) imply prior planning. (D) is incorrect for future choices.
11 (C) am going to send
Why it is correct: Bringing the laptop was a deliberate action because the speaker already formed the plan/intention to send emails. For intentions, we use “going to”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) is a routine. (B) means it is happening exactly right now. (D) is structurally incorrect (“will sending”).
12 (D) will meet
Why it is correct: The speaker is making a quick decision on the spot (“Wait, let me get my coat…”) to react to the friend’s suggestion. Instant decisions require “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (B) and (C) require prior planning, which contradicts the sudden change of mind.
13 (B) I’ll order
Why it is correct: The customer just heard the special and decided immediately to order it. This is a classic spontaneous decision.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (D) imply the customer knew the special beforehand. (C) is a routine.
14 (B) starts
Why it is correct: Movie screenings follow a strict, published timetable. We use Present Simple for timetables and schedules.
Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) are generally not used for published public schedules.
15 (C) will take
Why it is correct: The waiter is reacting to a sudden complaint and offering an immediate solution. This is a spontaneous decision/promise made at the moment of speaking.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (D) imply the waiter planned to take it back before the customer even complained.
16 (A) will love
Why it is correct: We use “will” to make a general prediction or express a personal opinion/promise about the future, especially with verbs like think, promise, be sure.
Distractor Analysis: (C) is for predictions with physical evidence (like dark clouds). (B) and (D) are grammatically incorrect for this future context.
17 (A) am going to
Why it is correct: The customer says “We’ll split it” (a decision), and then states their specific intention on how to execute that plan (“I am going to pay with cash”).
Distractor Analysis: (B) is acceptable in loose speech, but when stating a clear method/intention you’ve just decided to follow through on, “going to” fits the structure best. Note: “Will” is used for the sudden choice to split, “going to” represents the intention of the payment method.
18 (C) are having
Why it is correct: The speaker “called the manager this morning”, meaning the party is a fully confirmed, booked arrangement with other people. We use Present Continuous for fixed arrangements.
Distractor Analysis: (B) is for sudden decisions. (A) is for official public timetables.
19 (A) am going to eat
Why it is correct: The customer is stating their personal plan/intention for the leftover food. They intend to eat it for lunch tomorrow.
Distractor Analysis: (B) is a routine. (C) is structurally invalid (“will to”). (D) is an arrangement, but eating leftovers is a personal intention, not an arrangement with others.
20 (D) ‘ll pay
Why it is correct: The friend is in distress, and the speaker instantly offers a solution to rescue them (“Don’t panic! I will pay”). Spontaneous offers of help always use “will”.
Distractor Analysis: (A) and (C) imply the speaker planned to pay before knowing the friend lost their wallet!
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
To master future forms at the B1 level, you must ask yourself WHEN the decision was made:
- Will (Spontaneous Decisions): Use will when you decide something exactly at the moment you speak. This is why we always use “will” when ordering food at a restaurant, offering help, or reacting to a sudden problem.
- Example: “I’ll have the steak.” / “You dropped your napkin? I’ll get you a new one.”
- Going to (Plans & Intentions): Use going to when you made the decision before speaking. It is your personal plan.
- Example: “I’m going to ask the chef for a vegan menu.” (You planned this before arriving).
- Present Continuous (Fixed Arrangements): Use this for plans that are 100% confirmed, usually involving bookings, reservations, or other people.
- Example: “I am having dinner with Sarah at 8 PM.” (The table is booked, Sarah knows).
- Present Simple (Timetables): Use this for official, public schedules that you cannot change (trains, flights, movie times, restaurant opening hours).
- Example: “The restaurant closes at 10 PM.”