GLOSSARY OF AMERICAN ENGLISH SLANG
OR
How To Understand Common Pronunciations

I. VERB PHRASES: There are several common verbs that are consistently mispronounced by the general public. The most familiar forms appear below:

A. TO GO:

The present participle of the verb To Go (going) is often mispronounced as gonna OR gunna:

 

Singular	Plural
I am going to = I'm gunna	We are going to= We're gunna
You are going to = You're gunna	You are going to = You're gunna
He is going to = He's gunna	They are going to = They're gunna
She is going to = She's gunna
It is going to = It's gunna
The child is going to sing. = The kid's gunna sing.	The children are going to sing. = The kids are gunna sing.

Sample Sentences for gunna

I am going to go to the movies. = I'm gunna go to the movies.
You are going to go home later. = You're gunna go home later.
They are going to go to work tomorrow. = They're gonna go to work tomorrow.

B. TO GET when used to mean must or have to is often pronounced as gotta

 

Singular	Plural
I must go. = I gotta go.	We should go. = We gotta go.
You have to go. = You gotta go.	You have to go. = You gotta go.
He must drive. = He gotta drive.	They have to sit. = They gotta sit.
She must rest. = She gotta rest.
It must happen. = It's gotta happen.
The child must sit. = The kid's gotta sit.	The children must sit. = The kids gotta sit.

Sample sentences for gotta

I must go home now. = I gotta go.
They gave to go to wrok tomorrow. = They gotta work tomorrow.
The children must go to bed now. = The children gotta go to bed now.

C. TO HAVE, past tense HAD, is often pronounced as hadda (had a, had to)

 

Singular	Plural
I had a test yesterday. = I hadda test yesterday.	We had to go. = We hadda go.
You had a hard time. = You hadda hard time.	You had a hard time. = You hadda hard time.
He must go faster. = He hadda go faster.	They had a car. = They hadda car.
She had a car. = She hadda car.
It had a blue top. = It hadda blue top.
The car had a bue top. = The car hadda blue top.	The cars had blue tops. (no slang alternative)

Sample sentences for hadda

I was so hungry that I had to eat the whole pizza myself.

= I was so hungry that I hadda eat the whole pizza myself.

She had a cold so she stayed home. = She hadda cold so she stayed home.

You had a hard time. = You hadda hard time.

He had to go faster to win. = He hadda go faster to win.

D. TO WANT: When used with the preposition TO, this verb is often pronounced as WANNA(chiefly in the first and second persons singular and all the plural forms)

 

Singular	Plural
I want to see you. = I wanna see you.	We want to go home. = We wanna go home.
You want to learn. = You wanna learn.	You want to learn. = You wanna learn.
He wants to learn. = He wanna learn.	They want to learn. = They wanna learn.
She wants to learn. = She wanna learn.
The child wants to learn.	The children wanna learn.

Sample sentences for wanna

Do you want to go home now? = Do you wanna go home now?
We all want to become rich. = We all wanna be rich.
They each want a banana. = They each wanna banana.

E. TO DO in the past tense (DID) when followed by YOU is often pronounced DIJA

F. DO NOT WANT is often pronounced DOAN WANNA or DUNNA WANNA

Singular	Plural
I do not want to go. = I dunna wanna go.	We do not want to go. = We doan wanna go.
You do not want to go. = You dunna wanna go.	You do not want to go. = You doan wanna go.
He does not want to go. = He doan wanna go.	They do not want to go. = They dunna wanna go.
She does not want to go. = She dunna wanna go.
The child does not want to go. = The kid doan wanna go.	The children do not want to go. = The kids doan wanna go.

Sample sentence for dunna wanna:

I do not want to meet your friend. = I dunna wanna meet your friend.
We do not want to go. = We dunna wanna go.
They do not want to come. = They dunna wanna come.

G. DID NOT WANT:

similarly, the past tense (DID NOT WANT) in often expressed as DINNAWANNA

Singular	Plural
I did not want to go. = I dinnawanna go.	We did not want to go. = We dinnawanna go.
You did not want to go. = You dinnawanna go.	You did not want to go. = You dinnawanna go.
He did not want to go. = He dinnawanna go.	They did not want to. = They dinnawanna go.
She did not want to go. = She dinnawanna go.
The child did not want to go. = The kid dinnawanna go.	The children did not want to go. The kids dinnawanna go.

H. CAN NOT or CANNOT or CAN'T is often pronounced as CANNA

Singular	Plural
I cannot go. = I cannago.	We cannot go there. = We canna go there.
You can't see her. = You canna see her.	You can't see her. = You canna see her.
He can't go home. = He canna go home.	They can not find = They canna find
She can't have any = She canna have any.
The child can not = The kid canna	The children cannot = The kids canna

Sample sentences for canna

You can't see her without her father's permission.

= You canna see her without her father's permission.

He can't go home until he finishes working. = He canna go home until he finishes working.
She can't have any more candy. = She canna have any more candy.
The child can not have any more candy. = The kid canna have any more.