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 āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽ’ āĻŦāϞāĻžāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻāĻžāύāĻžāĻā§āĻā§āύ āϝ⧠āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻā§āύ, āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āĻ āύā§āϝ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻāύāĻž āĻāĻĒāύāĻžāĻā§ āϤāĻž āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻŦāĻžāϧāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§āĻā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻāĻŋ ‘āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāϰā§āĻā§ āĻāĻāĻŋ’ āĻāϰ āĻŽāϤāĻ āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āĻĨāĻā§āϝ āĻšāϞ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāϰ āĻāϰāĻŦā§āύ āύāĻžāĨ¤ āϝā§āĻšā§āϤ⧠āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāϰ āĻāϰāĻŦā§āύ āύāĻž, āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ āϤā§āϤ āĻāĻāύāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧā§ āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤ āϤāĻžāĻ āĻāĻŽāϰāĻž ‘am’ āĻāϰ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŦāϰā§āϤ⧠‘was’ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻāϰāĻŋ
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.
āĻāĻĒāύāĻžāĻā§ āĻŦā§āĻāϤ⧠āϏāĻžāĻšāĻžāϝā§āϝ āĻāϰāĻžāϰ āĻāύā§āϝ āĻāĻāĻžāύ⧠āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖ āϰā§āĻĒāĻžāύā§āϤāϰāĨ¤
āĻāĻ āĻšāĻžāĻ āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻāĨ¤ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāύāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāĻāĻžāϰ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻāĻžāϏāĻž āĻāϰāĻž āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§āĻāύ.
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻāϰ⧠āĻŦāĻŦāĨ¤ āϤā§āĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻāĻŋ āĻĻāϰāĻāĻžāϰ?
āĻāϤā§āϤāϰ: āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āϏā§āĻŦāĻŋāϧāĻžāĻāύāĻ āĻĻā§āĻāĻžāύ⧠āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§ āϝā§āϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āύ? āĻāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻāĻžāύ⧠āĻāĻā§ āĻāĻŦāĻ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āϰ āϏāϤā§āϝāĻŋāĻ āĻĻā§āϧ āĻĒā§āϤ⧠āĻšāĻŦā§āĨ¤
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻ āĻŦāĻļā§āϝāĻāĨ¤ āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āϏā§āĻāĻž āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰāĻŋāĨ¤
āĻāϤā§āϤāϰāĻ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āϰ āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻŋāϞā§āύ? āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āϤā§āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻŦāĻŋāϰāĻā§āϤ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻāĻžāĻ āύāĻžāĨ¤
āĻŦāĻŋ: āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āϏāĻŋāύā§āĻŽāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽ, āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ āĻĒā§āĻā§āώāĻž āĻāϰāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§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§āώā§āϤā§āϰā§, āϤāĻŋāύāĻŋ āĻŦāϞāϤ⧠āĻĒāĻžāϰā§āύ āύāĻž, “āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āϏāĻŋāύā§āĻŽāĻž āĻĻā§āĻāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋ” āĻāĻžāϰāĻŖ āϏ⧠āĻāĻāĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻāĻŦā§ āύāĻž āĻāĻžāϰāĻŖ āϤāĻžāĻā§ āϤāĻžāϰ āĻŦāύā§āϧā§āĻā§ āĻāĻžāϞāĻžāϤ⧠āĻšāĻŦā§āĨ¤ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ “I was about to” āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻāϰā§āύ āϝāĻāύ āĻāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ āύā§āϝ āĻā§āύ⧠āĻāĻāύāĻžāϰ āĻāĻžāϰāĻŖā§ āĻ āĻŦāĻŋāϞāĻŽā§āĻŦā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāϰāĻŦā§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.”
āĻāĻāĻžāύ⧠āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāĻ:
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻžāĻāϰ⧠āϝā§āϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻĄāĻŋāύāĻžāϰ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻžāύāĻžāϝāĻŧ āϝā§āϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻāĻ āĻāĻŋāύāĻŋāϏ āĻŦāϞāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āϤā§āĻŽāĻžāĻā§ āĻāϞ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻĒāύāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽā§āϞ āĻĒāĻžāĻ āĻžāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻāĻžāϏ āĻāĻžāĻāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āϰ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻĒāĻžāύā§āϝāĻŧ āĻ āϰā§āĻĄāĻžāϰ āĻāϰāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”
“āĻāĻŽāĻŋ āĻā§āϞāĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻļāύ āĻĻā§āĻāϤ⧠āϝāĻžāĻā§āĻāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŽāĨ¤”