Please help..

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Anny  #57316  Thu, 25 Nov 04 02:08 AM
I want to know how to use "wanna", "gotta", "gonna".
Thanks before.
  
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asdf  #57318  Thu, 25 Nov 04 02:33 AM
These are very casual, informal versions of "want to," "got to," and "going to." It's that simple.

I wanna close now as I gotta go, so I'm gonna say, "Bye."
  
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The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.
CalifJim  #57319  Thu, 25 Nov 04 02:33 AM
As you probably already know, these reduced forms occur in speech, not in writing (except to illustrate how to say them, of course).

"wanna" is "want to"; "gotta" is "got to", "gonna" is "going to".

I want to give my Mom something nice for her birthday.
Said: I wanna give my Mom ...

I have got to get started right now, or I'm going to be late!
Said: I've gotta get started right now, or I'm gonna be late!

By coincidence, you've chosen three forms which are accompanied by three different pronoun-verb contraction series:

"wanna" is preceded by a simple subject pronoun:
I wanna, we wanna, you wanna, they wanna. Not used for "he" or "she", and other third person singular situations: he wants to, she wants to

"gotta" is used after a pronoun contracted with "have" or "has":
I've gotta, we've gotta, you've gotta, they've gotta;
he's gotta, she's gotta

Although technically incorrect, "gotta" is often preceded by the simple subject pronoun (the same as "wanna"). I don't recommend this!

"gonna" is used after a pronoun contracted with "am", "is", or "are":
I'm gonna, we're gonna, you're gonna, they're gonna;
he's gonna, she's gonna

"gonna", but not "wanna" and "gotta", is used in the past:
we were gonna, you were gonna, they were gonna; I was gonna, he was gonna, she was gonna

Note: the 's in "he's gotta" means "has"; the 's in "he's gonna" means "is".

Smile [:)]

CJ
  
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