Thread: Its a Plan

I received wonderful help when I asked about "Я собираюсь" - I am going (or planning) to do something.

http://masterrussian.net/mforum/viewtopic.php?t=4734

Now, I have discovered that there is also an expression "Я буду" which may also used in the sense of "I am going to do something"...

How do I distinguish the use of these verbs? It seems that the first version is used more often - or has more universal use.

"я буду" is better translated as "I will", it is definite, no plan, just a fact.

я буду жить в Норвегии - I will live in Norway
я собираюсь жить в Норвегии - I plan to live in Norway

Is this common, or is it primarily used with verbs with no perfective?

The verb that comes after я буду will always be imperfective, because it denotes a process. Compare:

Я буду пить пиво = I will be drinking beer (imperfective)
Я выпью пиво = I will drink beer (perfective)