English grammar
Future in the Past
Used to talk about a future event as seen from a past moment. "I was going to call, but I forgot." "He said he would come." Signals the event was planned or expected in the past, whether it happened or not.
was/were going to + base verb | would + base verb
Real Examples from Native Speakers
"I was gonna get on my eighteenth birthday and then someone told me how much a tattoo would be and I said, uh-oh."
Talking About Our First Tattoos And Ages
How it works
Formula
was/were going to + base verb | would + base verb
This page combines the textbook rule with real-world English: every example is an unscripted clip from a real native speaker. You're hearing how this grammar point sounds in real life, not in a classroom.