'I am going to . . ' is good for both the present and the future. How you understand its meaning depends on the context. 'I am going shopping' in reply to the question 'What are you doing ?' could refer to now or, for example, tomorrow, if the person who has asked you what you are doing was talking about tomorrow. Neither is it limited to the near future ; you could say 'I am going to university' in reply to the question 'What are you doing next year ?'

Yup exactly, you've got the right idea! 'I'm going to the shop' is completely correct and natural :)

Victoria "Going" > Structure: verb+ ing Several situations you can use it. Example: Present Continuous or Future 1. I'm going to walk in the morning. (In this case: future)

The present continuous is used in an unusual way by English speakers in comparison to other languages. It is used as confirmation of a continuous activity. Example: "I eat salad." It does not mean that you are currently eating a salad, it means that you confirm that you ate salad in the past and that you intend to eat salad again in the future. "I am eating a salad" means that it is happening now. So, if someone asked "What are you doing?" and you replied "I go to the shop", meaning at this moment, which would be correct in other languages, in English the other person would think that you have not answered their question. The present is always described with "I am...".

Part of the problem with English is there are only 2 tenses (that's right... i said 2). Since there is no future tense in English, we use Modal verbs (like 'will), the Present Continuous (either with or with 'go') not to mention the Present simple too. In your example, "I'm going to the shop" could mean you are in the process of doing it right now. Although, i would be more likely to say: "I'm on my way to the shop" "I'm heading to the shop"