Why “Gonna” in the US and “Innit” in the UK Both Matter: Comparing American and British Contractions

🗂️ Category: Online Language Learning

🗣️ Introduction

Textbooks give you “proper English.” But in the real world you meet two living languages: Inglés americano y British English.

In the US, you’ll hear gonna, wanna, lemme. In the UK, it’s innit, wotcha, gissa.

If you want to understand movies, music, and everyday people, you need both.

🔑 Comparison Table: US vs UK

🟢 Gonna

• US: strong, universal in spoken English.
• UK: exists, but often softer [gənə].
• Trap: learners think it’s “American only.”
• What to do: recognize it everywhere, but avoid in formal writing.

🟢 Gimme vs Gissa

• US: Gimme a break! = Give me a break.
• UK: Gissa job! = Give me a job.
• Important: in Cockney, us = me, not “us.”
• Trap: students translate “give us” as plural. Wrong.
• What to do: know the cultural difference. Use gimme, recognize gissa.

🟢 Didja vs D’you

• US: Didja call her?
• UK: D’you like it?
• Trap: Do ya ≠ d’you. Wrong blending.
• What to do: listen carefully: [dɪdʒə] in US, [dʒə] in UK.

🟢 Innit (UK only)

• US: no equivalent.
• UK: universal tag: isn’t it.
• Trap: Brits use it in all tenses (He’s smart, innit?).
• What to do: don’t copy in exams, but learn to recognize it instantly.

🟢 Dunno

• US: I dunno.
• UK: Dunno, mate.
• Trap: tone differs — US more neutral, UK more colloquial.
• What to do: safe in casual talk, avoid in writing.

🟢 Hafta / Sposta

• US: common in speech.
• UK: appear, but less frequent.
• Trap: learners may think they don’t exist in the UK. They do, just softer.
• What to do: expect them in both accents.

🧬 X-ray of a Phrase

Do you want to go?

➡️ US: Do you wanna go? → Wanna go?
➡️ UK: D’you wanna go? → Wanna go?

Isn’t it nice?

➡️ US: Isn’t it nice? (rarely shortened).
➡️ UK: Innit nice? → Nice, innit?

📺 US vs UK in Pop Culture

• US examples:
  • Friends — “I’m gonna tell you something.”
  • How I Met Your Mother — “Didja call her?”
• UK examples:
  • Sherlock — “D’you think so?”
  • EastEnders — “Nice, innit?”
  • Boys from the Blackstuff — “Gissa job!”

👔 Street vs Exam: Two Dress Codes

• US street speech: gonna, wanna, lemme
• UK street speech: innit, wotcha, gissa
• Exams/business: always use full forms — going to, want to, isn’t it, give me

🎭 Classroom Story

A student once asked:
“Teacher, I heard ‘gissa job’ in a British movie. Why ‘us’?”

Answer:
“In Cockney, us = me. Don’t translate literally. Just hear it as give me.”

Lesson: culture changes language — and you need both codes.

📝 Conclusion

US and UK contractions are not “wrong.” They are shortcuts of real speech.

• Learn them to survive in movies, songs, and daily talk.
• Use them casually with friends.
• Switch to full forms in exams, business, and writing.

📌 At Escuela de idiomas Levitin / Start Language School by Tymur Levitin, we prepare you for English as it’s really spoken — in New York y in London.

🔗 Related materials

• Why Americans Say “Gonna” Instead of “Going to”
• Why the British Say “Innit” and “Wotcha”
• Tymur Levitin — Teacher & Founder

✍️ Columna del autor
Author’s work by Tymur Levitin — founder, director, and head teacher of Levitin Language School.

© Tymur Levitin