I feel uncomfortable when somebody says something like, "I decided I am going to be a doctor," or, "I decided I was going to be a doctor." 'Be going to' should be used when what the verb following 'to' describes definately happens or materializes. A profession can be pursued but nobody is sure it can be achieved in the end. I would say, "I decided that I would like to be a doctor," instead. I think the same thing goes for an utterance like, "I decided I will be a doctor," or, "I decided I would be a doctor."
What would the English-speaking native speakers say?
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
What would the English-speaking native speakers say?
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
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Comments
I feel uncomfortable when somebody says something like, "I decided I am going to be a doctor," or, "I decided I was going to be a doctor." 'Be going to' should be used when what the verb following 'to' describes definately happens or materializes. A profession can be pursued but nobody is sure it can be achieved in the end. I would say, "I decided that I would like to be a doctor," instead. I think the same thing goes for an utterance like, "I decided I will be a doctor," or, "I decided I would be a doctor."
I don't agree with the high-lighted phrase above. Nothing about the future is definite. The world could be destroyed tomorrow! The speaker is announcing his/her plan to become a doctor. So, 'going to' is fine. 'I will be' is also acceptable, as a strong statement of the speaker's will, as is ' would.'. 'Will be' shows the decision holds true today, 'would be' relates the decision to the past.
"I decided that I would like to be a doctor" is OK as a sentence, but it's not the same meaning as ' I decided I would be a doctor'. Yesterday I decided I would like to be a big Hollywood movie star, but it isn't going to happen.
Best wishes, Clive
CJ
Sorry for the brevity of my post. I have to be out of my office right away. I'm running my fingers on the keyboard like crazy.
How about, "I decided that I was becoming a doctor," or "I decided that I am becoming a doctor"?
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan
Generally speaking, yes, I agree with you.
Clive
Hiro/ Sendai, Japan