B2 Grammar Tenses

The Future in the Past: Was Going To, Would, Was About To

The future in the past lets us look forward from a moment in the past — We were going to leave at six, She said she would call, I was about to phone you. It is how we talk about what was still ahead at an earlier time.

The future in the past is not a single tense but a set of structures we use to describe an action that was in the future at some past moment. When we tell a story or report what someone planned, we often need to refer to events that had not yet happened at the time we are describing — even though, from our present viewpoint, they may now be over.

The three most important structures are was/were going to, would, and was/were about to. We also use the past continuous (was/were + -ing) for fixed past arrangements. Each takes a present-future structure and shifts it one step back into the past.

Was Going To: Plans and Intentions in the Past

Was/were going to + base verb is the past form of be going to. It describes a plan or intention that existed at a past moment. Very often the plan did not happen, which is why this form is so common in storytelling.

Form Structure Example
Affirmative subject + was/were going to + verb We were going to drive, but the car broke down.
Negative subject + was/were not going to + verb I wasn’t going to say anything.
Question was/were + subject + going to + verb Were you going to call me?

Unfulfilled plans: was/were going to very often implies that the plan failed or changed: We were going to leave at six usually means we did not leave at six. This makes it ideal for explaining why something did not happen.

Would: The Reported and Narrative Future

Would + base verb is the past form of will. We use it mainly in two ways: to report what someone predicted or promised, and to describe a future event from the viewpoint of a past narrative.

Notice the difference: was going to stresses a plan or intention, while would stresses a prediction, promise or simple future fact. For more on reporting, see reported speech.

Was About To: The Immediate Past Future

Was/were about to + base verb describes something that was on the point of happening — the very near future seen from a past moment. It is often interrupted by another event.

A more formal alternative is was/were on the point of + -ing: I was on the point of leaving when…

Past Continuous for Arrangements

Just as the present continuous can express a fixed future arrangement (I’m meeting Tom tomorrow), the past continuous can do the same from a past viewpoint.

Comparing the Forms

Form Use Example
was/were going to past plan or intention (often unfulfilled) We were going to call, but we forgot.
would reported or predicted future He said he would arrive at noon.
was/were about to on the point of happening I was about to leave.
was/were + -ing fixed past arrangement She was meeting them later.

Backshift in Reported Speech

When we report a future statement, present-future forms shift back to their past equivalents. Will becomes would, and be going to becomes was/were going to.

Direct speech Reported speech
“I will phone you.” He said he would phone me.
“We are going to move.” They said they were going to move.
“She is meeting us.” He said she was meeting us.

Common Mistakes

Practice Exercises

Grammar Quiz

Choose between was going to, would and was about to in context.

Matching Pairs

Match sentence halves to build future-in-the-past sentences.

Cloze Dropdown

Select the right past-future form to complete each gap.

Flash Cards

Drill future-in-the-past forms and their meanings.

Complete the Sentence

Type the correct past-future form to finish each sentence.

Unjumble

Reorder scrambled words into natural future-in-the-past sentences.

Practise the Future in the Past

LexFizz has 30 free interactive exercises — no sign-up needed. Start mastering was going to and would today.

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Explore related grammar topics:

All Grammar Topics Future Tenses Future Continuous Reported Speech Narrative Tenses Used to & Would

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the future in the past?
The future in the past is a set of structures used to talk about an action that was still in the future at some past moment. The main forms are was/were going to, would and was/were about to: We were going to leave at six, She said she would call, I was about to phone you. It is very common in storytelling and in reporting what people planned or predicted.
How do you form ‘was going to’?
Use subject + was/were going to + base verb: I/he/she/it was going to and you/we/they were going to. The negative is was/were not going to (I wasn’t going to say anything) and questions invert was/were (Were you going to call?). It is the past form of be going to and usually refers to a plan that existed at an earlier time.
What is the difference between ‘was going to’ and ‘would’?
Was/were going to emphasises a plan or intention that existed in the past, often one that was not carried out: We were going to drive, but the car broke down. Would is the past of will and emphasises a prediction, promise or simple future fact reported from a past viewpoint: He said he would help us. Choose going to for intentions and would for reported or predicted futures.
When do I use ‘was about to’?
Use was/were about to + base verb for something that was on the very point of happening at a past moment, usually interrupted by another event: I was about to leave when the phone rang. It refers to the immediate future seen from the past, not a distant plan. A more formal alternative is was/were on the point of + -ing: I was on the point of leaving.
Does ‘was going to’ always mean the plan failed?
Not always, but it very often does. Was/were going to frequently implies that the plan changed or was never fulfilled: We were going to leave at six usually suggests we did not. This is why it is so useful for explaining why something did not happen. However, in pure narrative it can also simply report a past plan without saying whether it succeeded.
How does the future in the past work in reported speech?
When you report a future statement, the verb backshifts. Will becomes would (“I will phone you” → He said he would phone me), and be going to becomes was/were going to (“We are going to move” → They said they were going to move). A present continuous arrangement becomes a past continuous one (“She is meeting us” → He said she was meeting us).
Can the past continuous express the future in the past?
Yes. Just as the present continuous expresses a fixed future arrangement (I’m meeting Tom tomorrow), the past continuous can express such an arrangement from a past viewpoint: I couldn’t come because I was meeting a client that afternoon, or They were flying to Rome the following morning. This use is limited to planned, scheduled events.
Is ‘would’ here the same as the conditional ‘would’?
No, although they look identical. The future-in-the-past would simply reports or narrates a future event from a past viewpoint: He said he would arrive at noon. The conditional would describes the imagined result of an unreal condition: I would help if I could. Context makes the meaning clear, but it is worth recognising that the same word does two different jobs.
Why do we say ‘he said he would come’ and not ‘he said he will come’?
Because the reporting verb (said) is in the past, the future inside the report normally shifts back too, so will becomes would: He said he would come. Using will after a past reporting verb is a common error. Will is only kept if the statement is still true or relevant now, but in standard narrative reporting would is the expected form.
At what level should I learn the future in the past?
The future in the past is usually introduced at B2 (upper-intermediate) on the CEFR scale, once learners are comfortable with be going to, will and the past tenses. It is essential for storytelling and reported speech, both of which feature heavily in Cambridge B2 and C1 exams and in IELTS writing and speaking, where describing past plans and predictions accurately is important.