★ Learn American English Easy

Reductions — gonna, wanna, gotta, lemme & Friends

B2 · Reductions · going to → gonna · want to → wanna · got to → gotta · give me → gimme · let me → lemme · kind of → kinda · sort of → sorta

The seven most useful reductions in American English. In natural conversation, 'going to' melts into 'gonna', 'let me' into 'lemme'. You need these first for LISTENING — Americans use them constantly — and then, carefully, for relaxed speaking.

👂 Notice→🔊 Listen→🔍 Notice the Difference→🗣️ Repeat→⚖️ Compare→🔁 Shadow→❓ Quiz

Step 1 — Notice

A reduction is what fast, unstressed speech does to common word pairs: vowels shrink, consonants merge, syllables collapse. Rule one: these spellings (gonna, wanna, lemme) are REPRESENTATIONS of spoken pronunciation — use them to understand and to speak naturally, but NEVER write them in formal writing, exams, or professional email. Rule two: 'gonna' only replaces 'going to' + verb (future): 'I'm gonna go' ✓ — but 'I'm going to school' (place) keeps 'going to'.

Step 2 — Listen

AI-generated American voice. Natural first, then slow. Listen as many times as you need.

I'm gonna call her tonight.

'Going to' melted into 'gonna'.

Do you wanna come?

'Want to' → 'wanna'.

I gotta go now.

'Got to' → 'gotta'.

Lemme help you.

'Let me' → 'lemme'.

Gimme a minute.

'Give me' → 'gimme'.

Step 3 — Notice the Difference

Careful

I am going to go.

→

Natural American

I'm gonna go.

Future 'going to' + verb only.

Careful

Do you want to come?

→

Natural American

Do you wanna come?

The /t/ vanishes into the melt.

Careful

Let me see.

→

Natural American

Lemme see.

Two words, one beat.

Careful

It's kind of late.

→

Natural American

It's kinda late.

kinda/sorta soften statements — 'more or less'.

Ear Training — Which Word Did You Hear?

Play the word, then choose what you heard. After you answer, hear both words and compare.

Step 4 — Repeat & Record

Say each model out loud, right after the voice. Then record yourself saying the target line: I'm gonna call her tonight.

🎙 Practice recorder

Record yourself, play it back, and compare with the model. Recordings stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Step 5 — Compare & Self-Check

Play your recording from Step 4. Then play the model again. No scores — just honest ears. Tick what you truly did:

Step 6 — Shadow

The text starts hidden. Listen first, then reveal it, then speak with the voice — same rhythm, half a second behind.

I'm gonna grab a coffee. You wanna come?

Practice Quiz

Keep going

🇺🇸 Real American Listening — hear it in real conversation🎙️ Speaking Studio — use your voice in dialogues🌱 Vocabulary Builder — words with pronunciation🔗 Phrasal Verbs Lab📚 Graded Stories — shadow a story

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