3

Let's say someone doesn't feel fine at the moment when another person asks how he feels. But he's sure that he should feel better soon - which one is correct:

"I will be fine"

or

"I'm going to be fine"

ColleenV
  • 11,971
  • 13
  • 47
  • 85
Stefan Weiss
  • 940
  • 9
  • 19
  • 28

2 Answers2

7

Both of your examples are correct. Let me explain why.

Both of your examples are in the simple future tense. There are two forms of the simple future tense:

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

1. to be going to + base form of a verb (or verb1)

"I am going to be fine."

This form is usually used to talk about future plans.

"I am going to visit you soon."

"I am going to the doctor tomorrow."

2. will + base form of verb (or verb1)

"I will be fine."

This form is usually used to talk about a promise or a voluntary action.

"I will call him."

"I will stop smoking."

3. You can use either form to express a prediction.

According to http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html, when you make a prediction about the future, you can use either form (going to or will). When used in this way, the other 2 rules don't apply.

"I will be fine."

"I am going to be fine."

"I will be a doctor when I grow up."

"I am going to be a doctor when I grow up."

"I think it will rain tonight."

"I think it is going to rain tonight."

There is no difference in the meaning of these sentences!

http://www.really-learn-english.com/simple-future-exercises.html

KansasTeacher
  • 131
  • 4
  • 3
    I agree that either is appropriate in OP's situation, but I don't know that your distinction between evidence/no evidence holds water. In the specific example of what children want to be when they grow up, I think the most commonly heard expression is "I'm gonna be an astronaut when I grow up!" (replace astronaut with child's prospective profession of the moment). – WendiKidd Jul 21 '13 at 14:56
  • Yes, I agree. The rules don't always hold up. The way we speak in native English doesn't always follow the rules. Many times, I know what sounds right to me, but it may not be "grammatically correct" or I may not even be able to state the specific rule for it without doing some research. It just sounds right. – KansasTeacher Jul 21 '13 at 18:48
  • Thanks, WendiKidd! I edited my answer after doing some more research. – KansasTeacher Jul 21 '13 at 19:11
  • 1
    Wow, great edit! This is a really good answer; a very well-deserved +1 for you! I hope you stick around and continue to contribute to the site :) – WendiKidd Jul 21 '13 at 20:52
  • 1
    Thanks! I've been a lurker for a while and enjoy posting on some other forums. I will definitely post more on here in the future. – KansasTeacher Jul 21 '13 at 21:40
3

Both are fine; they mean the exact same thing. In speech, the first is more likely to be contracted:

I'll be fine.

I also have the impression it's more common than "going to be", likely because it's shorter to say. Also of note is that in cases like this, "going to" is often spoken as one mushed-together word:

I'm gonna be fine.

This should definitely not be used in formal writing, and if you're learning the language it's best to clearly enunciate your words, but as you might hear this from a native speaker I thought it was worth mentioning.

WendiKidd
  • 14,568
  • 4
  • 43
  • 67