I would like to know which sentence is the more natural and why :
A. You left the door open. B. Oh, yes, I'll close it.
A. You left the door open. B. Oh, yes, I'm going to close it.
Thanks!
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In everyday speech, I would use "I'll close it" or "I'm gonna close it" and reserve "I'm going to close it" for when I'm actually physically on my way to the door to close it, just because it's longer to say, but either of these is natural.– EstherApr 27, 2022 at 19:29
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@Esther gonna means going to, it is not a separate "thing" and it is just used to mimic speech.– LambieApr 27, 2022 at 20:32
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@Lambie I am aware of that, as I am a native English speaker. I was just pointing out that in causal conversation, "going to" in this context can seem overly formal– EstherApr 27, 2022 at 20:50
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@Esther Which is why it surprised me. You present I'll close it and Gonna close it as casual. gonna is just pronunciation. going to is not formal all.– LambieApr 27, 2022 at 20:55
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@Lambie true, it isn't really formal, I was just evaluating these options by hearing myself say either one as a response. Either of the OP's sentences is fine, really, with only slight differences in connotation.– EstherApr 27, 2022 at 21:00
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3 Answers
I think the first one definitely sounds more natural to me in 99% of cases. It has the implication that you were unaware that you left the door open and now that you have been told you are going to close it.
The second sentence sort of gives an implication that you were aware that you left the door open and you had planned to close it in the (near) future.
A. You left the door open. B. Oh, yes, I'll close it.
I'll (will) in English is used to offer to do something in contexts like this. Bear in mind that the question form of offering to do something is shall.
It's cold. Shall I close the window? Answer: Yes, please do.
Another example: I'll pick up some fruit for you at the grocery store. The meaning is future but it also signals this idea of offering to do something.
A. You left the door open. B. Oh, yes, I'm going to close it.
You use going to close it to say that you are going to do it. It's a future tense in that sense but not far off in the future.
I like this question. I think the way it reads to me the implication here is previous knowledge of the status of the door.
"Oh, I'll close it" -> I didn't know I had left the door open, let me correct that
vs. "Oh, I'm gonna close it" -> I left it open intentionally for some reason and I plan to close it soon.
However, I think this depends on tone and that there are deliveries of "I'll close it" that would convey Yes, I know it's open, leave me alone!
I don't think that between these two things there's a significant difference in how soon it suggests you'll close the door, I think that could go either way (immediately or not quite yet for either, but 'I'll' leans more immediately and 'I'm gonna' suggests a minor delay, just not necessarily).
As a note, in my dialect of English, I have never in my life been asked a question using the word "Shall" in a nonjoking context. I would say "Should", "Can I" or "Do you want me to" depending on context.
