#138 Speak Like an American

Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently

In this episode:

• I’d like to help you to understand how to use words like Gonna, Wanna, Gotta, and similar.

• Later, a point of view story to practice your English grammar, and consolidate the information that I’ll be teaching in the first part.

Let’s get started!

Are you confused about how and when to use the words GONNA, WANNA, and GOTTA?

We refer to these kinds of words as contractions.

What’s a contraction?

A contraction is created when two words in a row come together and become one.

For example:

I am= I’m

It is = It’s

Do not = Don’t

Will not= Won’t

These are some contractions which are accepted as grammatically correct and are taught in all English courses.

However, in this lesson, I’ll focus on the informal contractions. These are not taught in grammar books because their use is mostly colloquial.

For example:

If you say going to really fast, you can shorten it to GONNA by dropping the final sound. If you say want to really fast, it shortens to WANNA. These are informal contractions.

You probably noticed that the grammatically correct English we learn in school is not the same as the colloquial English in the street. However, informal contractions are very common in colloquial English.

That’s why you should familiarize yourself with them. You don’t need to start using them right away. The most important step is to make sure that you understand how to use these informal contractions.

Many conventional teachers sustain that it’s wrong or inappropriate to use these colloquial contractions when speaking English in formal situations.

But let me tell you that words like “gonna,” “wanna,” and “gotta” are perfectly OK to use in all spoken situations, both formal and informal.

In the US, everyone seems to use “gonna” and “wanna”; even highly educated people use these words several times a day. People in business meetings, professors giving lectures, everyone.

So, don’t worry. You can also use them, and you’ll sound just like an American.

 

Read the transcript here: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com