Мгновенное будущее
Образование
Когда мы говорим о событии в будущем, которое произойдет с мгновения на мгновение, мы используем следующую конструкцию из трёх элементов:
глагол "to be", со спряжением в настоящем времени, + about + инфинитив основного глагола
| Субъект | + to be | + about (или just about) | + инфинитив |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | about | to be sick |
| They | are | about | to arrive. |
| It | is | just about | to explode. |
To leave, в мгновенном будущем
| Утвердительная форма | Отрицательная форма | Вопросительная форма | Отрицательно-вопросительная форма |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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? |
Функция
Эта модель используется для обозначения времени, которое произойдет сразу же за настоящим моментом, и обозначает событие или действие, которые произойдут очень скоро. Мы часто добавляем слово just до слова about, что подчёркивает незамедлительность действия.
Примеры
- 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.
Эта модель может также использоваться с простым прошедшим временем и глаголом to be вместо настоящего времени для обозначения неизбежного действия, которое было прервано. Часто после такой конструкции следует придаточное предложение с when.
Примеры
- 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.