Pronunciation Focus: 'Gonna': American English

In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to take some footage from real-life

English conversation and focus on just one topic. Watch this video a few times. Repeat

along with it, and you'll get more comfortable using this concept in your own speech.

Today's concept is 'gonna'. Now, it's not appropriate to write 'gonna' in written communication.

But in spoken English, reducing 'going to' to 'gonna' is very much so an acceptable practice.

Let's look at some example phrases.

Ok, now I'm going to ask you another question. Ok, now I'm going to ask you another question.

Pretty fast, but also, very connected. And it's important to learn to speak with really

connected speech. So, let's break it down. First, the word we're studying here: 'gonna'.

Reducing 'going to' to simply 'gonna'. Gonna -- repeat with me. Gonna. Gonna. Now I'm gonna.

Notice how the last sound of 'now', a diphthong, links directly into the beginning of the word

I'm, also a diphthong. No break or lift there. Now I'm, now I'm, now I'm gonna. Ok, now I'm

gonna. Ok, now I'm gonna. Ask you another question. Notice how the K links to the beginning

of 'you', ask you, ask you. Ask you another question. And 'you', ending in the 'oo' vowel

links into the 'uh', the schwa of 'another'. You another, you another -- no lift. Ask you

another, ask you another. As you another question. Ask you another question. All very linked.

Let's break it down one more time. Repeat in the pauses. Ok, now I'm gonna ask you another

question. Listen to the phrase three times on a loop, paying attention to the melody

of the voice. Then repeat the whole phrase.

Ok, now I'm going to ask you another question. [3x]

Ok, now I'm going to ask you another question.

Mark, who do you think's going to win tonight?

Mark, who do you think's going to win tonight? Notice how the words 'who', 'do', and 'you',

all function words here, are all low in pitch and linked together, connecting to the stressed

word 'think's'. Notice also that 'do' is reduced to duh, and 'you' reduced to yuh. Who do you,

who do you, who do you, who do you think's, who do you think's. Mark, Mark, who do you

think's, who do you think's. Think's. So, the word 'is' here, contracted with think's.

'Who do you think is going to' becomes 'who do you think's gonna'. Who do you think's

gonna. Gonna -- the word we're studying in this video. Gonna, gonna, gonna win. Gonna

win, gonna win tonight, gonna win tonight. Let's break it down one more time.

Repeat in the pauses. Mark, who do you think's going to win tonight? Now you'll hear the

phrase three times. Listen to the melody of the voice, and then repeat.

Mark, who do you think's going to win tonight? [x3]

Mark, who do you think's going to win tonight?

In the following dialogue, the word 'gonna' is used five times.

>> I'm going to go around 5:30 or so. >> Ok. I'm going to go before that because

I'm, I'm leaving early. >> Oh, so you're going to go there first.

>> I'm going to go there first for, like, an hour.

>> Ok. >> So I will, I'm going to leave without you

then. >> Ok.

>> Ok.

Listen again.

>> I'm going to go around 5:30 or so. >> Ok. I'm going to go before that because

I'm, I'm leaving early. >> Oh, so you're going to go there first.

>> I'm going to go there first for, like, an hour.

>> Ok. >> So I will, I'm going to leave without you

then. >> Ok.

>> Ok.

'Gonna' is very common in everyday spoken English: a smoothed out way of saying 'going

to'. Gonna.

So, don't be afraid to use 'gonna' in your own speech. That's it, and thanks so much

for using Rachel's English.

Don't stop there. Have fun with my real-life English videos. Or get more comfortable with

the IPA in this play list. Learn about the online courses I offer, or check out my latest

video.