British English: If you want to sound more natural and native, but you don’t know how. I suggest you read this lesson because you will be learning all of these twelve British slang in English.
Now, these reductions that you will be learning in this lesson, of course, are used in spoken, colloquial, and informal English, and many of them you can even use in written English—in formal written English texts, messages, social media posts, informal emails, but not academic writing, essays, or, of course, business writing and correspondence, letters, emails. They are informal and need to be used in the correct situation. Right, let me get started.
12 Slangs British English Native
- Gonna
- Wanna
- Hafta
- Gotta
- Oughta
- Lemme
- Gimme
- Dunno
- Kinda
- Coulda
- Woulda
- Shoulda
1. Gonna
Meaning: going to
Pronunciation: /gana/
Example:
- I’m gonna go out tonight.
- I’m gonna have dinner with friends.
Note: Be careful with grammatical structure: going to + infinitive verb.
- Incorrect: I’m gonna to go out tonight.
- Correct: I’m gonna go out tonight.
2. Wanna
Meaning: want to
Example:
- I wanna go out tonight.
- What a gorgeous day! I really wanna go to the beach!
Note: Don’t add an extra preposition.
- Incorrect: I wanna to go outside tonight.
- Correct: I wanna go outside tonight.
For he/she/it pronouns: It’s ‘wansta’ (wants to)
- She wansta go out.
- He wansta go out.
3. Hafta
Meaning: have to
Pronunciation: Retains the “t” sound, but “have” sounds more like “half” (as in “hafta”).
Example:
- I hafta call my mum! I haven’t called her in days.
For he/she/it pronouns: It’s ‘hasta’ (has to)
- She hasta call her mother.
4. Gotta
Meaning: got to
Example:
- I’ve gotta go.
- She’s gotta go.
- They’ve gotta go.
5. Oughta
Meaning: Should
Example:
- I really oughta go to the shops.
- I really oughta phone, my mother.
Note: “Oughta” is used informally to reduce “ought to.”
6. Lemme
Meaning: Let me
Example:
- Lemme explain.
- Lemme help you.
7. Gimme
Meaning: give me
Example:
- Could you gimme a minute?
- Would you gimme a pen?
- Gimme a minute, please.
8. Dunno
Meaning: Don’t know
Example:
- No, I dunno.
- She dunno like you.
9. Kinda
Meaning: kind of
Note: Refers to “type of” as well.
Example:
- It’s a kinda pasta.
- It’s a kinda plant.
- I kinda know what I want for dinner.
10. Coulda
Meaning: could have
Example:
- I coulda helped you if I’d known.
11. Woulda
Meaning: would have
Example:
- I woulda called you if I’d known.
12. Shoulda
Meaning: should have
Examples:
- I shoulda asked you for your advice.
- I shoulda got it when it was on sale.
Also Read
Flirting Words in English: British English Slang