About To Verb: Usage, Meaning & Structure

Here we will discuss the exciting verb ‘about to,’ which is not a tense. It is an indicative term we use to indicate our immediate plan. When we say ‘I am about to do it,’ it means you will do it at the earliest. Let us see how the structure of 'about to’ in the sentence says. Consider a statement – 

“The show is about to start.”

As per the structure, the term ‘The show’ is a subject, ‘is’ indicates the verb ‘be,’ which is conjugated, ‘about to,’ and ‘start’ is the base verb that does not change. So, there are four fractions in the construction: subject, be, about to, and base verb. Let us see some more examples of it –

• It is about to end.

• I am about to leave.

• They are about to pay.

• You are about to discover. 

• We are about to eat. 

This way, you can form straightforward sentences that help in spoken English accurately what your following immediate action will be. In the above sentences, all the first words denote subject, second distinguish be, third is about to, and fourth indicates base verb. Though the statements are small, they are full of meaning and indicative action. 

When something is going to happen soon or immediately, ‘about to’ is used. Look at the following examples, which are self-explanatory.  

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How to use ‘About To’?

English is a widely spoken language and is very rich in verbs and phrases. However, it is as complex as it is easy. It is also confusing as the exact words can be used entirely differently to express meaning. It is an exciting one for language-lovers as they can keep on learning and reading new things each day. Some verbs are compelling and have their specific place. Some words are not a part of grammar, but they are essential. 

The use of ‘about to’ can be put forward in many ways. 

• Hurry up! The shop is about to close. 

• Look at him. He is about to cry.

• Can you call me back? I am about to reach home. 

• Switch your phone off. The conference is about to start.

• We are about to go out. Would you like to join us?

These are some ways in which you can use ‘about to.’ 

How to Use ‘About To’ with Different Tenses?

The above example sentences of 'about to’ are all in the present simple tense, but we can use about to with different tenses. The below examples will give us an idea about how to use about to in simple past tense and future simple tense. Also, we have seen that ‘about to with questions also can be used. 

• He was about to leave when the phone rang.

• I was about to call him when he called me instead.

• I had to hurry. They were about to leave for the airport. 

• The sun was about to disappear behind a cloud. 

• You will disturb him if you call at 9.30 tonight. He will be about to go to sleep.

• This time tomorrow we will be about to reach our home-town. 

It exhibits a great example of how one can use about to with different tenses. Based on the situation, we sometimes may use ‘about to’ with more complex tenses like past perfect and present perfect or even with modals like might or could, as shown below – 

• I have a feeling that my father may be about to leave his job.

• He was frightened the tiger might have been about to attack him.

• I have been about to call you several times, but something distracted me.

• I had been about to sing a song but was afraid I might disturb my mother sleeping.

• According to reports, he could have been about to carry out a terrorist attack.

However, the structure of about to in such sentences would be too complex to understand. In the coming section, we will find out how many other ways ‘about to’ can be/is used. 

All the above example sentences of 'about to’ indicate that it is the most flexible verb in the English language.

Use of ‘About To’ with ‘Just’

When you want to indicate that action is quickly starting, you can use ‘just’ before ‘about to.’ These simple sentences become more effective with the addition of just.

• I was just about to go to the office when I got your call.

• Wait! It’s just about to entertain you.

• She was just about to call me when I reached her home.

About to with questions

When you reverse the subject and verb, you can make questions with ‘about to’ as follows – 

• What are you about to do?

• Had they been about to stop?

• Were they about to leave?

• Could they be about to release him?

• Are you about to go to a movie?

• Why are they about to show it?

Use of ‘About To’ with ‘Not’ – 

When we use ‘about to’ with ‘not,’ we will come to the two meanings viz, ordinary negative meaning and indicate unwillingness. A normal negative can be understood with an example – “Are you about to eat?”/ No, we were not about to eat, but we were about to go out.

While the unwillingness can be indicated by – “He knows he is wrong, but he is not about to admit It.” or “I wasn’t about to pay a high cost for a low-cost product.”