Spoken English

I was about to + (verb) ; Day: 9

I was about to + (verb)

When stating ‘I was about to’ you are informing someone that you were going to do something, but another event prevented you from doing it. It is similar to ‘I am about to’ but the difference is that you will not do it any longer. Since you will not do it any longer, it becomes a past event. That is why we use ‘was’ instead of ‘am’

‘āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽ’ āĻŦāϞāĻžāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāωāϕ⧇ āϜāĻžāύāĻžāĻšā§āϛ⧇āύ āϝ⧇ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āϛ⧇āύ, āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āϘāϟāύāĻž āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āϤāĻž āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻŦāĻžāϧāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇āϛ⧇āĨ¤ āĻāϟāĻŋ ‘āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϕ⧇ āφāĻ›āĻŋ’ āĻāϰ āĻŽāϤāχ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻ•ā§āϝ āĻšāϞ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāϟāĻŋ āφāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āύāĻžāĨ¤ āϝ⧇āĻšā§‡āϤ⧁ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāϟāĻŋ āφāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āύāĻž, āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āĻ…āϤ⧀āϤ āϘāϟāύāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧ⧇ āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤ āϤāĻžāχ āφāĻŽāϰāĻž ‘am’ āĻāϰ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤ⧇ ‘was’ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻŋ

Here is an example conversation to help you understand.

A: Hi Mike. I need to ask you a favor.
B: Hey Bob. What do you need?
A: Can you drive me to the convenient store? My car is in the shop and we really need to get milk.
B: Sure. I can do that.
A: Were you in the middle of something? I don’t want to bother you.
B: I was about to watch a movie, but that can wait.

āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻŦ⧁āĻāϤ⧇ āϏāĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ¯ā§āϝ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖ āϰ⧂āĻĒāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤāϰāĨ¤

āĻāσ āĻšāĻžāχ āĻŽāĻžāχāĻ•āĨ¤ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āωāĻĒāĻ•āĻžāϰ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ.

āĻŦāĻŋ: āφāϰ⧇ āĻŦāĻŦāĨ¤ āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻĻāϰāĻ•āĻžāϰ?

āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰ: āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āϏ⧁āĻŦāĻŋāϧāĻžāϜāύāĻ• āĻĻā§‹āĻ•āĻžāύ⧇ āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ āϝ⧇āϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āύ? āφāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻ—āĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋ āĻĻā§‹āĻ•āĻžāύ⧇ āφāϛ⧇ āĻāĻŦāĻ‚ āφāĻŽāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āϏāĻ¤ā§āϝāĻŋāχ āĻĻ⧁āϧ āĻĒ⧇āϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇āĨ¤

āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻ…āĻŦāĻļā§āϝāχāĨ¤ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϏ⧇āϟāĻž āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŋāĨ¤

āωāĻ¤ā§āϤāϰāσ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁āϰ āĻŽāĻžāĻā§‡ āĻ›āĻŋāϞ⧇āύ? āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻŦāĻŋāϰāĻ•ā§āϤ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϚāĻžāχ āύāĻžāĨ¤

āĻŦāĻŋ: āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āϏāĻŋāύ⧇āĻŽāĻž āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽ, āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻ…āĻĒ⧇āĻ•ā§āώāĻž āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āĨ¤

In this case, he cannot say, “I am about to watch a movie” because he will not be watching it because he has to drive his friend. You use “I was about to” when you will not be doing something immediately because of some other event.

āĻāχ āĻ•ā§āώ⧇āĻ¤ā§āϰ⧇, āϤāĻŋāύāĻŋ āĻŦāϞāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āύ āύāĻž, “āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āϏāĻŋāύ⧇āĻŽāĻž āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋ” āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ āϏ⧇ āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āĻŦ⧇ āύāĻž āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ āϤāĻžāϕ⧇ āϤāĻžāϰ āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āϧ⧁āϕ⧇ āϚāĻžāϞāĻžāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇āĨ¤ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ “I was about to” āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰ⧇āύ āϝāĻ–āύ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ…āĻ¨ā§āϝ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āϘāϟāύāĻžāϰ āĻ•āĻžāϰāϪ⧇ āĻ…āĻŦāĻŋāϞāĻŽā§āĻŦ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āύāĻžāĨ¤

Here are some examples:

“I was about to go out.”
“I was about to go to dinner.”
“I was about to go to bed.”
“I was about to go to work.”
“I was about to say the same thing.”
“I was about to call you.”
“I was about to send you an email.”
“I was about to mow my grass.”
“I was about to order us some drinks.”
“I was about to watch television.”

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāχāϰ⧇ āϝ⧇āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻĄāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ›āĻžāύāĻžāϝāĻŧ āϝ⧇āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāϜ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āχ āϜāĻŋāύāĻŋāϏ āĻŦāϞāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻ•āϞ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āχāĻŽā§‡āϞ āĻĒāĻžāĻ āĻžāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻžāϰ āϘāĻžāϏ āĻ•āĻžāϟāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āφāĻŽāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀āϝāĻŧ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĄāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŸā§‡āϞāĻŋāĻ­āĻŋāĻļāύ āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāĻšā§āĻ›āĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”