What Is the Meaning of the Word, "Gonna"?
The word, "gonna", is an informal conjugation of the verb "to go." When we say "gonna", we don't mean "to go" in the sense that we are moving from one spot to another. Instead, "gonna" is an abbreviation of the words "going to" when we are using the "verb", to be going to . "To be going to" is used to express that an action is going to occur in the future.
The Future Tense
Since we are talking about an informal abbreviation of the future tense, we should take a minute to review the "normal" future tense. In English we put the word "will" in front of the verb to indicate that it will happen in the future. Here are some examples:
| Future (Contraction) | Future | Person |
|---|---|---|
| I will go to the store | I'll go to the store | 1st Person Singular |
| You will go on vacation next year | You'll go on vacation next year | 2nd Person Singular |
| He will eat / She will eat | He'll eat / She'll eat | 3rd Person Singular |
| We will buy a computer | We'll buy a computer | 1st Person Plural |
| All of you will have fun | 2nd Person Plural | |
| They will eat | They'll eat | 3rd Person Plural |
I include both the "normal" future tense and its contractions because it is important to know and be able to use both in conversation. If you're wondering about the difference between the two forms, I would say that it is really just a question of style. I would say that the tendency is to use contractions more often when speaking out loud and to use the full form ("I will, you will, he will") when writing formally.
"To Be Going To"
At least where I live, When we speak out loud, we're probably more likely to use "going to" instead of "will" to explain that something will occur in the future. You can use "going to" to explain that something is going to happen in the near or distant future.
- Near Future: I'm going to go the store tonight
- Distant Future: I'm going on vacation next year
| Future with "To be going to" | Person |
|---|---|
| I'm going to go to the store. | 1st Person Singular |
| You are going to go on vacation next year. | 2nd Person Singular |
| She is going to eat | 3rd Person Singular |
| Compreremo un computer. | 1st Person Singular |
| Vi divertirete. | 2nd Person Singular |
| They are going to eat. | 3rd Person Singular |
"Gonna"
By now, you can see that the lingusitic tendency is to try and speak with as few words as possible. I guess, subconsciously, it seems more efficient that way. So if you think about it that way, it makes sense that we would shorten the words two words "going to" into one word, "gonna." When using this abbreviated form of "to go", we also will also use the contractions of "to be."
So "I am going to eat" becomes "I'm gonna eat."
If we use the same examples from before, we can see how they are sentences are when we substitute "gonna"
| Person | Future |
|---|---|
| 1st Person Singular | I'm gonna go to the store. |
| 2nd Person Singular | You're gonna go on vacation next year.. |
| 3rd Person Singular | She's gonna eat |
| 1st Person Plural | We're gonna buy a computer |
| 2nd Person Plural | You guys are gonna have fun |
| 3rd Person Plural | They're gonna eat |
So go forth! Be Merry! Talk comfortably. As for me, I'm gonna take a break.