Gonna, wanna, gotta: what happens to “to” in spoken English

When “to” is followed by a verb, it fuses with the word before it and loses its vowel. Nine cases you'll hear constantly.

This is the most frequent group and the first one worth owning, because it turns up in any sentence about plans, obligations or intentions — which is to say nearly all of them.

The pattern is always the same: the preceding word absorbs the “to” and the result ends in a weak vowel, the same one in the last syllable of “sofa”. “Going to” → “gonna”. “Have to” → “hafta”. “Supposed to” → “sposta”, which loses its “d” along the way too.

going to

gonnaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Voy a hornear un pastel para la fiesta esta noche.
Where the ear fails: The reduction 'gonna' only occurs when 'to' is followed by a verb. Don't confuse 'gonna' with 'gonna the shop', this is not English.

want to

wannaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Realmente quiero ir a la playa este fin de semana.
Where the ear fails: Spanish speakers often don't recognize 'wanna' as a reduced form of 'want to' because 'to' becomes a short 'a' sound in English. Additionally, this change only happens when 'to' is followed by a verb, such as in 'wanna go'. It doesn't occur in 'I wanna the beach', which is incorrect.

got to

gottaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Tengo que terminar este informe antes de la fecha límite.
Where the ear fails: The reduction 'gotta' applies only when 'to' is followed by a verb. Some speakers say 'I've gotta the store', which is not English.

have to

haftaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Tengo que terminar el informe para mañana por la tarde.
Where the ear fails: Spanish speakers might confuse 'hafta' with 'after' due to the similar sound. Also, remember this reduction only applies when 'to' is followed by a verb, as in 'hafta go'.

has to

hastaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Ella tiene que salir de la reunión temprano para recoger a su hijo.
Where the ear fails: This reduction happens only when 'to' is followed by a verb. Spanish speakers often confuse 'hasta' with the Spanish word 'hasta', which can change the meaning if not careful.

used to

usetaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Cuando era más joven, solía jugar al fútbol todos los fines de semana.
Where the ear fails: The reduction 'useta' only applies when 'to' is followed by a verb. Some speakers might confuse it with 'use it to', thinking it's a pronoun and not a verbal reduction.

ought to

oughtaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: De verdad deberías visitar a tu abuela este fin de semana.
Where the ear fails: In fast English, 'ought to' is reduced to 'oughta' only when 'to' is followed by a verb. Spanish speakers sometimes mistake it for 'ought a' or think something is missing if 'to' is not followed by a verb.

supposed to

spostaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Se supone que ella nos encontrará en el restaurante a las siete.
Where the ear fails: Spanish speakers often confuse it with 'espuesto' because 'sposta' sounds like a syllable is missing. This reduction only occurs when 'to' is followed by a verb.

trying to

trynaOnly when “to” is followed by a verb

In Spanish: Estoy tratando de entender lo que dices.
Where the ear fails: The reduction 'tryna' only happens when 'to' is followed by a verb, like in 'tryna understand'. It isn't used when 'to' is followed by a noun, like in 'tryna the store'.