Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option. ________ but I didn’t have enough money.

The correct answer is: C. I was going to buy it.

The other options are incorrect because they do not accurately reflect the speaker’s intention.

• Option A, “I would buy it,” is incorrect because it implies that the speaker is still considering buying the item. However, the speaker states that they did not have enough money, which suggests that they have decided not to buy the item.
• Option B, “I will have bought it,” is incorrect because it implies that the speaker has already bought the item. However, the speaker states that they did not have enough money, which suggests that they have not yet bought the item.
• Option D, “I’ll buy it,” is incorrect because it implies that the speaker is still planning to buy the item. However, the speaker states that they did not have enough money, which suggests that they have decided not to buy the item.

The speaker is using the past continuous tense, “was going to buy,” to describe an intention that they had in the past but did not carry out. This tense is often used to talk about plans that were made but then changed or cancelled.