Question
Updated on
4 Dec 2022
- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
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English (UK)
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English (US)
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German
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between We are going to school. and We are goingto go to school. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between We are going to school. and We are goingto go to school. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
4 Dec 2022
Featured answer
- English (US)
- English (UK)
"We are going to school" is present tense. Here, "going" means "moving from one place to another".
"We are going to go to school" is future tense. Here, "going" means "likely or intending to do something".
Highly-rated answerer
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- English (US)
- English (UK)
"We are going to school" is present tense. Here, "going" means "moving from one place to another".
"We are going to go to school" is future tense. Here, "going" means "likely or intending to do something".
Highly-rated answerer
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@q23175401sam First I will talk about the most likely/ordinary meanings, then about other possibilities:
1. I’m going to school = most likely means “I am on my way to school, or I am currently walking to the building where I have school”
2. I’m going to go to school = most likely means I intend to enrol in school (most likely University) very soon.
Another possible meaning for “I’m going to go to school” is “I have an intention to physically leave the house to go to the school I’m currently enrolled in soon”This would have to be clear from context. This meaning is different from #1 because it means you haven’t left your house yet but you intend to leave soon (near future)
On the other hand, “I’m going to school” could also be said as you are walking out the door to leave for school. As a difference to #2, the present continuous tense has to be used while the action is in progress, so you would only say this while you’re already on the way to school, or as you are just leaving (physically already walking out, not just having an intention that you will fulfil soon)
Highly-rated answerer
- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
@Gezzza thank you so much for those details. I thought both had exactly the same meaning, but "we are going to school" might be a short form due to laze. 😂
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@q23175401sam I wouldn't say that. "We are going to school" could never mean "we have the intention to enrol in school", while "we're going to go to school" most likely means that. That's why I emphasised "most likely" vs. "other possibilities". They could both mean the same, or almost the same thing, depending on context, but they most likely mean different things.
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