Hi, I’ve found the following sentence on EnglishPage and I although it might be grammatically correct I’d be interested to know how many native speakers would actually say it:
Jane: I am going to go to dinner tonight too, but I’m having a piece of pie anyway.
Mind you, the sentence uses the long form “am going” rather than “I’m going”.
What do you think?
Many thanks,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, talks: Leaving a voice message reporting a lost wallet[YSaerTTEW443543]
Hi Dear Torsten,
“I am going” is the written form for its spoken one “I’m going”. I think that’s about all,don’t you?
Best regards,
Morteza
Do you mean ‘going/to go’ thing, if we can use two forms of ‘to go’ together?
I think “I am going to go to dinner” sounds a tad awkward, doesn´t it? and if a native would have tried to express it would have said or written “I´m about to go to dinner”. It´s the same , of course but wouldn´t sound less circular.
Just my humble opinion
Michael
Not a native speaker, but just some thoughts. I think yes, it does sound awkward, circular and redundant. Normally we try to simplify sentences. Instead of writing I am going to go to dinner, your English teacher/professor would probably mark unnecessary words. Why not say I am going to dinner, the thought is just the same anyway. Actually “go to dinner” still sounds awkward even if it’s grammatically correct. “Have dinner” probably sounds better. That’s just for me 
Hi Anj,
I wouldn´t say that “to be going to diner” and “to be going to go to…” or “to be about to go to…” aren´t the same.
While “to be going to diner” stresses that you´re on the way i.e. you´re on the move to dinner, “to be going to go…” or “to be about to go…” point out that you´re just intending to go but not yet are on the way…
that´s how I got it.
Michael
Hi Torsten,
In this sentence:
This suggests to me that’s what you are intending to do and nobody is going to stop you.
Alan