Do you want to learn the proper use of “About To” in English sentences?
Many expressions, words, or phrases in English convey particular messages. The term “about to” is also an English expression mainly used in the present and past tenses—the word “about to” means that something will happen soon or shortly.
In this article, you will learn the meanings of “about to” and its use in English grammar. Also, you will learn its use in English communication with explanation and examples.
The expression “about to” refers to actions or things that will occur soon. It is a combination of “about” and “to” which are used collectively to explain that something will occur soon.
Use of “About To” in English Grammar
“About to” is frequently used in English communication. Their most common use is in simple present and past tense. Take a look at the following sentences;
- He is about to leave.
- Get ready! The train is about to come.
- She was about to sleep when the doorbell rang.
- They were about to leave the party.
About To is also used in negative sentences in simple present and simple past. Look at the following sentences;
- He is not about to leave.
- The train is about to come.
- She was not about to sleep.
- They were not about to leave the party.
About Vs. About To
About and about to have different meanings in English. When you use the word ‘about’ in the sentence, it means something that is nearly or almost.
Take a look at the following two sentences;
It is about 8 o’clock. [about means nearly]
It is about to rain. [ about to means = going to happen]
The first sentence tells us that it is not exactly 8 o’clock. Rather it tells us that it is close to 8 o’clock.
In the second sentence, we find out that rain is going to start soon. It also means that it is not raining right now. Rather, rain will start soon.
Things to keep in Mind while using about to
First, you must understand that “about to” is not a verb tense in English grammar. Instead, it is an expression that is used along with the main verb and it conveys a particular message in English.
Second, you must know how to use “about to” in sentences. If you learn the right order and structure of the sentence, you will never make a mistake when using ‘about to’ it in your speaking to written conversation. Let’s look at basic sentence structure!
Basic Sentence Structure Using About To
Subject + be + about to + base verb.
be = is/are/am/was/were
He + is, are, am/was, were + about to + go.
When To Use ‘About To’ in English Sentences?
About to is used to say something that is happening soon. It means that the action in the sentence will occur soon. For example;
It is about to rain.
This sentence tells us that it is not raining right now but that it will rain soon. Now, look at the following examples;
She is about to cook.
He is about to sleep.
For example, he is about to sleep. This sentence means that he is going to sleep soon or will be sleeping soon. In simple words, something is going to happen quickly, but it is pretty close.
How to Use “About To” in a Sentence
We use the subject followed by ‘be about to’ and then the main verb. Mostly, we use about to in simple present and simple past tenses. Learning the correct use of ‘be about to’ in English is extremely important for language learners because it enables them to talk about actions or things that have not started yet but will start soon.
1. Use of “ABOUT TO” in Present Simple Tense
The English expression “about to” is commonly used in the present simple tense to talk about things that will occur in the near future. Using the word “about to” in the present simple shows that something will occur or happen soon.
The basic sentence structure in the present simple looks like this;
Subject + be + about to + base verb
Be = is/are/am
Now, look at the following sentences;
- He is about to take a shower.
- He is about to call.
- He is about to watch TV.
- He is about to write a letter.
- She is about to read a book.
- He is about to come.
- He is about to run.
In the examples mentioned above, we learn that things or actions are about to happen soon. That is why we use it to express something more conveniently.
That said, we know one thing for sure: the action or activity has not started yet but will start soon.
How to make negative sentences using about to in the sentence?
To make negative sentences using about to, we simply add not after is/are/am.
[Subject] + [is/are/am] not + [about to] + [Base Verb].
The negative forms of above sentences will look like this;
- He is not about to take a shower.
- He is not about to call.
- He is not about to watch TV.
- He is not about to write.
- He is not about to come.
- He is not about to run.
How to ask questions using about to in the sentence?
The basic structure of question sentences using about to would be’
Is/Are/Am + [Subject] + [about to] + [Base Verb].
Let’s take a look at the following sentences;
- Is he about to take a shower?
- Is she about to call us?
- Are they about to watch TV?
- Are you about to write?
- Is he about to come?
- Are they about to run.
2. Use of “ABOUT TO” in Past Simple Tense
We also use “about to” in simple past sentences to describe things or actions that were supposed to happen but did not occur. For example;
- He was about to go.
- He was about to leave.
- He was about to sleep.
- He was about to work.
- He was about to stay.
- He was about to come.
- He was about to take tea.
The above examples show that the subject was going to perform actions within short period of time.
In negative sentences of past simple, we simply use not in between was/were and about to.
- He was not about to leave.
- She was not about to sleep.
- He was not about to work.
- They were not about to stay.
- The guests were not about to come.
- I was not about to take tea.
While asking questions, we use was or were at the start of the sentence, then subject + about to + base verb. For example;
- Was he about to go?
- Was she about to leave?
- Were you about to sleep?
- Were they about to come?
- Was I about to take tea?
Now, let’s see more examples to learn how to properly use “about to” in sentences.
Example Sentences Using About To
- He is about to eat.
- He is about to sleep.
- He is about to finish his work.
- Guests are about to come to the party.
- They are about to arrive soon.
- We are about to leave for vacation.
- She was about to cook food.
- She was about to sleep.
- It was about to rain yesterday.
- The snow was about to stop.
Final Thoughts
“About to” is not a tense or rule of English grammar. It is an expression used in the English language to convey a particular message. It means that something will happen soon. In simple meanings, the subject in the sentence is going to do something within a short period.
I hope this article helped you learn the meaning of About to and how to use it correctly in your sentences. If you liked it, please share it and subscribe to our newsletter for updates, language learning tips, and the latest blog posts.
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