10 colloquial abbreviations in English you should know

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Real English is not at all the same as in textbooks. Speech of native speakers is natural and consists of a lot of abbreviations. Here are ten of them that you cannot do without knowing.

1. Gonna

| ˈꞬɑː.nə | = going to - going to do something.

We're gonna get married. = We’re going to get married. - We're going to get married.

The gonna sound a lot easier. Moreover, you can omit the verb to be (we gonna get married), if, of course, your inner censor allows it.

2. Wanna

| ˈWɑː.nə | = want to / want a - want to do something / want something.

The abbreviation wanna has two meanings: when we want to do something, and when we just want something. In both cases, wanna is used instead of want to and want a:

• Do you wanna come to my place for dinner? = Do you want to come to my place for dinner? - Would you like to dine with me?
• I wanna birthday party. = I want a birthday party. - I want a birthday party.

3. Gimme

| ˈꞬɪm.i | = give me - give / give me.

This abbreviation is familiar to many from the song Gimme More by Britney Spears and the composition of the ABBA group. For friendly casual communication, it is quite appropriate to say:

Oh, come on, Pat, gimme a break. - Oh, Pat, that's enough! Give me a break!

4. Lemme

| ˈLɛmɪ | = let me - let / let me.

The abbreviation lemme is consonant with gimme and is used as follows:

Lemme take care of her. = Let me take care of her. - Let me take care of her.

5. Kinda

| ˈKaɪ.ndə | = kind of - type / kind of something; like, like, to some extent.

Very frequent colloquial contraction. Basically kinda is used in two ways. First, when you need to say or ask about a variety of something:

What kinda music do you like? = What kind of music do you like? - What kind of music do you like?

And a more colloquial variation, for which kinda sounds more appropriate than kind of. Here are some examples:

• Actually, that's kinda cool. - Actually, it's kind of cool.
• Well, I kinda like someone. - Well, I kind of like someone.

6. Sorta

| sɔːrtʌ | = sort of - sort of, sort of, like.

Similar in meaning to kinda:

• She's sorta out on her own. - She's kind of on her own.
• That’s sorta their thing. - It's like their feature.

7. Ain't

| eint | = am / is / are not; have / has not - negative particle "not".

It is useful to know this abbreviation, but it is undesirable to use it. It is recognized by its carriers as too informal, vernacular. You might think that ain’t came from American slang, but in fact, its roots go much deeper - right into the London Cockney.

Ain’t is emotional enough, so it is often found in various songs. From a recent recollection of Ain’t Your Mama by Jennifer Lopez:

I ain’t gon’be cooking all day, I ain’t your mama! = I’m not going to be cooking all day, I’m not your mama. - I'm not going to cook all day, I'm not your mom!

8. A lotta

| eˈlɑːtə | = a lot of - a lot of something.

Like all the abbreviations listed above, a lotta came about in the process of quickly pronouncing and merging sounds. It is very popular, and you just need to know it! And to use it like this:

Hey, you askin 'a lotta questions. = Hey, you’re asking a lot of questions. - Hey, you ask a lot of questions.

And in the case of the plural, instead of lots of, you can say lotsa:

I have lotsa computer games. = I have lots of computer games. - I have a lot of computer games.

9. Dunno

| dəˈnoʊ | = do not know - I do not know.

This is how you can casually answer a question in an informal setting.

Dunno, Mike, do whatever you like. = I don’t know, Mike, do whatever you like. “I don’t know, Mike, do as you like.

You can use dunno with or without pronouns.

10. Cuz

| kɔːz | = ‘Coz =’ cos = ‘cause = because - because.

Apparently, because it is problematic to pronounce not only for English learners, but also for native speakers themselves. Otherwise, why make such a mockery of the word?

I like him cuz he’s pretty. = I like him because he’s pretty. - I like him because he is cute.

What colloquial abbreviations do you use most often? Share in the comments.