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’
‘āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽ’ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻžāĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻā§āĻā§āĻ¨ āĻ¯ā§ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻā§āĻ¨, āĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻ āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻž āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻā§ āĻ¤āĻž āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻŦāĻžāĻ§āĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻāĻŋ ‘āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻā§ āĻāĻāĻŋ’ āĻāĻ° āĻŽāĻ¤āĻ āĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻā§āĻ¯ āĻšāĻ˛ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻ° āĻāĻ°āĻŦā§āĻ¨ āĻ¨āĻžāĨ¤ āĻ¯ā§āĻšā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻ° āĻāĻ°āĻŦā§āĻ¨ āĻ¨āĻž, āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ āĻ¤ā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻž āĻšāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¯āĻŧāĨ¤ āĻ¤āĻžāĻ āĻāĻŽāĻ°āĻž ‘am’ āĻāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ ‘was’ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ°āĻŋ
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.
āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻā§ āĻŦā§āĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¸āĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ¯ā§āĻ¯ āĻāĻ°āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻāĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšāĻ°āĻŖ āĻ°ā§āĻĒāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤āĻ°āĨ¤
āĻāĻ āĻšāĻžāĻ āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĨ¤ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāĻāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ¸āĻž āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻāĻ¨.
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻāĻ°ā§ āĻŦāĻŦāĨ¤ āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻŋ āĻĻāĻ°āĻāĻžāĻ°?
āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻ¤āĻ°: āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻŋāĻ§āĻžāĻāĻ¨āĻ āĻĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§ āĻ¯ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ¨? āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻā§ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻŋāĻ āĻĻā§āĻ§ āĻĒā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻšāĻŦā§āĨ¤
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻ āĻŦāĻļā§āĻ¯āĻāĨ¤ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻž āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĨ¤
āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻ¤āĻ°āĻ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ā§āĻ¨? āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ°āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻ¨āĻžāĨ¤
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ¸āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽ, āĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ āĻĒā§āĻā§āĻˇāĻž āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§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.
āĻāĻ āĻā§āĻˇā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ°ā§, āĻ¤āĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ¨ āĻ¨āĻž, “āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ¸āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋ” āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻŖ āĻ¸ā§ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻāĻŦā§ āĻ¨āĻž āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻŖ āĻ¤āĻžāĻā§ āĻ¤āĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ā§āĻā§ āĻāĻžāĻ˛āĻžāĻ¤ā§ āĻšāĻŦā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ “I was about to” āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ¨ āĻ¯āĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻŋ āĻ āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻŖā§ āĻ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ˛āĻŽā§āĻŦā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻ°āĻŦā§āĻ¨ āĻ¨āĻžāĨ¤
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.”
āĻāĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšāĻ°āĻŖāĻ:
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāĻāĻ°ā§ āĻ¯ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻĄāĻŋāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ¯ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻ āĻāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ¸ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻ˛ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽā§āĻ˛ āĻĒāĻžāĻ āĻžāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻ¸ āĻāĻžāĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻŧ āĻ āĻ°ā§āĻĄāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻļāĻ¨ āĻĻā§āĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛āĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”