Il futuro immediato
Come si forma
Per parlare del futuro immediato, si utilizza una struttura composta da tre elementi:
il verbo to be al presente + about + l'infinito del verbo principale
| Soggetto | + to be | + about (oppure just about) | + infinito |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | about | to be sick |
| They | are | about | to arrive. |
| It | is | just about | to explode. |
Il verbo "to leave" espresso nell'immediato futuro
| Affermativa | Negativa | Interrogativa | Negativa interrogativa |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am about to leave. | I am not about to leave. | Am I about to leave? | Am I not about to leave? |
| You are about to leave. | You are not about to leave. | Are you about to leave? | Aren't you about to leave? |
| He is about to leave. | He is not about to leave. | Is he about to leave? | Isn't he about to leave? |
| We are about to leave. | We aren't about to leave. | Are we about to leave? | Aren't we about to leave? |
| They are about to leave. | They aren't about to leave. | Are they about to leave? | Aren't they about to leave? |
Funzione
Questa struttura viene utilizzata per riferirsi a un futuro immediato ed enfatizza l'evento o l'azione che sta per compiersi entro qualche istante. Spesso si aggiunge il termine just prima di about, per enfatizzare ulteriormente l'immediatezza di quanto sta per avvenire.
Esempi
- She is about to cry.
- You are about to see something very unusual.
- I am about to go to a meeting.
- We are just about to go inside.
- Sally is just about to jump off that diving board.
Questa struttura viene anche usata con il simple past del verbo to be al posto del presente, per riferirsi a un'azione che era imminente ma che è stata interrotta. Tale struttura è spesso seguita da una proposizione introdotta da when.
Esempi
- She was about to leave when Jim arrived.
- When it started to rain, I was about to go out for a walk.
- I was just about to call her when she walked in.
- The car was just about to flip over when he regained control.