Lähitulevaisuus
Muoto
Kun puhumme lähitulevaisuudesta, voimme käyttää kaavaa, joka koostuu kolmesta elementistä:
verbi "to be", taivutettuna preesensissä, + about + pääverbin infinitiivi
| Subjekti | + to be | + about (tai just about) | + infinitiivi |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | about | to be sick |
| They | are | about | to arrive. |
| It | is | just about | to explode. |
To leave, lähitulevaisuudessa
| Myönteinen | Kielteinen | Kysymyslause | Kielteinen kysymyslause |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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? |
Funktio
Tätä kaavaa käytetään, kun halutaan viitata ajanjaksoon heti puhumisen jälkeen, ja painoarvo on sillä, että tapahtuma tai toiminta tapahtuu erittäin pian. Lisäämme usein sanan just ennen sanaa about, joka painottaa sitä, että toiminta tapahtuu välittömästi.
Esimerkkejä
- 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.
Tätä kaavaa voidaan myös käyttää imperfektin kanssa to be preesensin tilalla, viittaamaan toimintaan, joka oli lähellä, mutta joka keskeytettiin. Kaavaa seuraa usein lause, joka alkaa sanalla when.
Esimerkkejä
- 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.