The other day we looked at gonna, the casual pronunciation of going to. Today, I want to talk about a similar word – wanna. Wanna is the casual pronunciation of both want to and want a. I am sure you have heard this before. However, what you might not know is that there are times when we can and cannot use such pronunciation. Today I want to talk about this with you.

We pronounce want to as wanna when we talk about the first and second person (I, you, we, they) but not the third person (he, she, it). The structure is want to + verb.  Here are some examples:

  • I want to eat pizza for lunch. → I wanna eat pizza for lunch. (wanna = want to)
  • I think you want to eat pizza for lunch, too. →I think you wanna eat pizza for lunch, too. (wanna = want to)
  • Jack wants to* eat pizza for lunch → Jack wanna to eat pizza for lunch. (wanna ≠ want to)

         *Since we use the third person “s” we cannot use wanna to mean wants to

We also pronounce want a as wanna when we talk about the first and second person (I, you, we, they) but not the third person (he, she, it). The structure is want a + noun. Here are some examples:

  • I want a new computer. → I wanna new computer. (wanna = want a)
  • I think you want a new computer, too. → I think you wanna new computer, too. (wanna = want a)
  • Jack wants a new computer, too. → Jack wanna new computer, too. (wanna  ≠ want a)

So, please remember this → When you have the verb in the third person – wants –  you can not use wanna.

Well, I hope this was helpful. Thanks for studying today and remember to send me your suggestions for a one-point lesson you want to see here.