Den umiddelbare framtiden
Form
Når vi snakker om den umiddelbare framtiden, kan vi bruke et mønster som består av tre deler:
presens formen av verbet "to be" + about + hovedverbets infinitiv
| Subjekt | + to be | + about (eller just about) | + infinitiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | about | to be sick |
| They | are | about | to arrive. |
| It | is | just about | to explode. |
To leave, i den umiddelbare framtiden
| Bekreftende | Nektende | Spørrende | Nektende spørrende |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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? |
Funksjon
Dette mønsteret brukes når man henviser til et tidspunkt i den umiddelbare framtiden, og det framhever at hendelsen eller handlingen kommer til å skje veldig snart. Vi ofte plasserer ordet just foran ordet about, som framhever handlingens umiddelbarhet.
Eksempler
- 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.
Dette mønsteret kan også brukes med preteritum (simple past) formen av verbet to be i stedet for presens formen, til å henvise til en handling som var nært forestående, men ble avbrutt. Det mønsteret er ofte etterfulgt av en bisetning innført av when.
Eksempler
- 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.