gaan + Infinitive
Going to: Gaan
Gaan + a verb talks about what is going to happen: Ek gaan môre swem. (I am going to swim tomorrow.) Dit gaan reën. (It is going to rain.)
How It Works
1. The pattern. Gaan takes the verb slot in second place, and the plain infinitive goes to the end of the clause, just as after a modal verb (see modal verb word order):
- Ek gaan môre swem. (I am going to swim tomorrow.)
- Ons gaan volgende jaar 'n huis koop. (We are going to buy a house next year.)
2. Plans and signs. Use gaan for plans you have already made and for things that the situation already points to: Kyk na die wolke. Dit gaan reën. (Look at the clouds. It is going to rain.)
3. Gaan or sal? Both talk about the future. Sal sounds more like a promise, an offer or a prediction: Ek sal jou bel. (I will call you.) Gaan sounds more like a plan: Ek gaan jou vanaand bel. (I am going to call you tonight.) In everyday speech gaan is used a lot, and often either word is fine.
4. Questions and negatives. Questions follow the normal rules: Wat gaan jy doen? The first nie comes after gaan and after a time word such as vanaand, and the second nie closes the sentence: Ek gaan vanaand nie kook nie. (I am not going to cook tonight.) Putting nie before vanaand would mean not tonight, but at another time.
5. Going somewhere to do something. Gaan can also keep its meaning of going: Ek gaan swem can mean I am going swimming. In the past, Ons het gaan swem means we went swimming (see het gaan + infinitive).
Examples (6)
- Ek gaan môre swem.
I am going to swim tomorrow.
Word by Word: I go tomorrow swim.
- Dit gaan reën.
It is going to rain.
Word by Word: It goes rain.
Gaan here predicts something the sky already shows.
- Wat gaan jy vanaand doen?
What are you going to do tonight?
Word by Word: What go you tonight do?
- Ons gaan volgende jaar 'n huis koop.
We are going to buy a house next year.
Word by Word: We go next year a house buy.
The infinitive koop goes to the end, after the object.
- Ek gaan vanaand nie kook nie.
I am not going to cook tonight.
Word by Word: I go tonight not cook not.
The first nie comes after gaan and the time word vanaand, and the second nie ends the sentence.
- Die kinders gaan hierdie naweek by hulle ouma kuier.
The children are going to visit their grandmother this weekend.
Word by Word: The children go this weekend at their grandma visit.
Common Mistakes
Adding te after gaan, copying English going to.
Ek gaan te swem.Ek gaan swem.Gaan takes a plain infinitive, like a modal verb. There is no te.
Using is to copy English I am going to.
Ek is gaan swem.Ek gaan swem.Afrikaans has no am/is before gaan. Gaan itself is the verb in second place.
Leaving out the second nie.
Dit gaan nie reën.Dit gaan nie reën nie.A negative sentence needs nie again at the end.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Gaan + infinitive uses the same word order as the modal verbs.
Related Patterns
- salWill
The other way to talk about the future, often sounding like a promise.
Level 1 - Present Tense for the Future
The plain present with a time word can also talk about the future.
Level 2 - het gaan/kom + InfinitiveWent and Did: Het Gaan Swem
In the past, het gaan swem means went swimming.
Level 3 - nie ... nieDouble Negation
The double negation used in gaan nie ... nie.
Level 1 - souWould: Sou
Sou talks about the future seen from the past: he said he would call.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice gaan + Infinitive in Bubblegum
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