Practice
Wanna and gonna: informal spoken English
Sign in to saveYour friend says, 'Do you wanna get coffee?' She means 'Do you want to get coffee?' Later, she says, 'I am gonna call you tonight.' She means 'I am going to call you tonight.' Wanna and gonna are common sounds in relaxed speech, but the full forms are safer in standard writing.
Recognize wanna and gonna in informal speech, spell the full forms in standard writing, and avoid using them where their meaning does not fit.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Do you wanna come with us, or are you gonna stay home? /duː jə ˈwɒnə kʌm wɪð ʌs ɔːr ɑː ju ˈɡɒnə steɪ həʊm/
The short answer
Use wanna only as an informal way to say want to, and use gonna only as an informal way to say going to for a future plan. They show relaxed speech, not standard spelling. Write the full forms when the situation needs standard English.
Do you wanna join us after work?
Why it works: In relaxed speech, wanna represents want to before the verb join. In standard writing, use Do you want to join us after work?
6 more examples
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Do you wanna watch the new episode tonight?
Wanna represents want to before the base verb watch in a relaxed invitation.
Not this:Do you
want to watchthe new episode tonight? What changes: The full form has the same meaning and is suitable for standard writing. -
I wanna ask you a quick question.
The speaker informally says want to ask before the verb ask.
Not this:I
want aquick answer to my question. What changes: Want a is followed by a noun phrase, so wanna cannot replace it. -
We are gonna meet outside the station at six.
Gonna represents going to before the base verb meet in an informal future plan.
Not this:We are
going to meetoutside the station at six. What changes: The full form is the standard written version of the same future plan. -
It is gonna rain this afternoon.
Here gonna represents going to before rain and expresses a prediction.
Not this:It is
going to rainthis afternoon. What changes: Use the full form when you write the prediction in standard English. -
I am going to Manchester for the weekend.
Going describes travel to a place, so this is not the future-plan use that becomes gonna.
Not this:I am
gonna visitManchester this weekend. What changes: Gonna can appear before the verb visit because the sentence gives a future plan. -
I got your message this morning.
Got is a form of get. It has a different meaning from gonna.
Not this:I am
gonna replyafter lunch. What changes: Gonna means going to and introduces a future action, not a past action.
Read the full guide
First, listen for the full meaning. Wanna normally means want to before a verb, and gonna normally means going to before a verb in a future plan. Then decide how formal the situation is. You can understand and use these reduced forms in relaxed conversation, but choose want to and going to for careful writing.
Hear the full meaning
Wanna and gonna help you understand relaxed speech. Wanna means want to, and gonna means going to in a future meaning. Say the full sentence in your mind when you hear either form. That helps you check the grammar and meaning.
Do you wanna sit here?
The speaker is asking, Do you want to sit here? Wanna comes before the verb sit.
What full words does wanna represent in this sentence?
It represents want to.
Use wanna before a verb
Wanna normally comes before a base verb such as go, eat, ask, or learn. It can follow I, you, we, they, or another subject in a relaxed conversation. It does not replace want a because a is part of a noun phrase, not to plus a verb.
They wanna leave before the traffic gets busy.
Wanna is followed by leave, a base verb. The full form is They want to leave before the traffic gets busy.
They want a quieter table.
A quieter table is a noun phrase, so wanna does not fit here.
Which form fits before a noun: wanna or want a?
Use want a before a noun, as in want a quieter table.
Use gonna for a future plan
Use gonna before a base verb when going to expresses an intended future action or a prediction. It often follows am, is, or are in relaxed speech. The grammar is the same as the full future pattern, but the spelling is informal.
She is gonna start the course in October.
She plans to start in the future. The standard written form is She is going to start the course in October.
Does gonna in this sentence describe a future plan or a past event?
It describes a future plan.
Keep travel and got separate
Do not shorten every use of going to to gonna. When going means moving to a place, keep going to: We are going to the museum. Also keep gonna separate from got. Got can mean received, obtained, or became, depending on the sentence. It is not related to the future form gonna.
I am going to the museum after lunch.
The museum is a destination. Going to describes movement, so gonna does not fit before the place.
I got the tickets yesterday.
Got describes a completed past action. It does not mean going to.
Can you replace going to with gonna before the museum?
No. In that sentence, going to describes travel to a destination.
Choose the right writing style
Wanna and gonna are useful to recognize in speech and relaxed dialogue. They can also appear in very casual messages when the relationship and setting allow it. Use want to and going to in an exam, a job application, a work email, or any writing where you want a standard, neutral style.
I am going to send the completed form tomorrow.
The full form is a clear choice for a work email or other careful writing.
Which form is safer in an application: I am gonna apply or I am going to apply?
Use I am going to apply because the full form suits standard writing.
Before you go
Remember this
Wanna means want to before a verb, and gonna means going to before a verb when you mean a future plan or prediction. They are informal spellings for relaxed speech. Write want to and going to in standard English, and do not use wanna for want a or gonna for travel to a place.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Wanna and gonna: informal spoken English"
What do wanna and gonna mean?
Wanna is an informal spoken form of want to, as in Do you wanna come? Gonna is an informal spoken form of going to when it introduces a future plan or prediction, as in We are gonna leave soon. Both forms represent relaxed speech rather than standard spelling.
Do you wanna watch the new episode tonight?
Are wanna and gonna correct English?
They are common ways to represent informal speech, so learners need to recognize them. They are not standard forms for careful writing. Use want to and going to in schoolwork, professional messages, applications, and other situations where a neutral written style is expected.
Do you want to watch the new episode tonight?
Can wanna replace want a?
No. Wanna represents want to before a verb: I wanna ask a question. Want a has a different grammar pattern because a begins a noun phrase: I want a question answered. Keep want a when the next words name a thing rather than an action.
I wanna ask you a quick question.
Can gonna replace every use of going to?
No. Use gonna only for the future meaning of going to before a base verb, such as I am gonna call later. Do not use it when going to describes movement to a place. Say I am going to London, not I am gonna London.
I want a quick answer to my question.
Does gonna mean got?
No. Gonna means going to in informal future speech. Got is a form of get and often refers to a past action, as in I got your message. The forms have different meanings and grammar, so do not use one in place of the other.
We are gonna meet outside the station at six.