1. He will go back to Geneva next year.
2. He will return to Geneva next year.
3. He is going to go back to Geneva next year.
4. He is going to go back to Geneva in ten years.
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Does #1 mean #2?
What about #3? Is #1 similar to #3? What is the difference?
'Be going to' is used for near future, isn't it?
Can we use 'is going to' as in #4?
Return and go back mean the same thing
One is also similar to three
Yes
Yes
Yes, statement #1 ("He will go back to Geneva next year") can be considered similar in meaning to statement #2 ("He will return to Geneva next year"), as both imply a future action of going back to Geneva.
Statement #3 ("He is going to go back to Geneva next year") is similar to statement #1 in terms of the intended future action, but there is a slight difference in emphasis. While both sentences express a future event, the use of "is going to" in statement #3 suggests a stronger intention or plan compared to the more neutral assertion in statement #1.
Regarding your question about "be going to" being used for the near future, you are correct. "Be going to" is commonly used to talk about an action or event that is planned to happen in the near future, often with a sense of certainty or prior arrangement.
As for statement #4 ("He is going to go back to Geneva in ten years"), technically, it is possible to use "is going to" to refer to an event or action that will happen farther into the future, as long as there is a clear time frame specified. In this case, the time frame of "in ten years" indicates that the return to Geneva will happen at a specific point in the future, but it is not considered part of the near future.