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Can gonna be used without a to be verb like I gonna drink this. ?

If yes, whats the difference to I am gonna drink this.

What about asking questions?

  • Do you gonna drink this?
  • Are you gonna drink this?

Clarification:

It is pretty clear to me that gonna is a contraction of going to, and also that this is acceptable and commonly used on spoken language... My questions is about its usage without the verb to be (I guess that never happens with going to).

So I would like to know if this usage is considered acceptable by native speakers and if there is any difference in the meaning. Also if it can be used (and how) as a question form.

schettino72
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    First of all, gonna is slang; a contraction of going to. Use it exactly how you would regularly use going to. – Ian MacDonald Mar 06 '15 at 14:37
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    In AAVE, this construction subject+gonna is quite common. As is is the Subject+finna/fista (for "fixing to") construction. – tylerharms Mar 06 '15 at 14:46
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    @tylerharms, you're right. But those formulations will really only be acceptable if he's intending to speak AAVE. I think OP is trying to learn English. "I am (or, I'm) gonna drink this" is OK; "Are you gonna drink this?" is OK; "Do you gonna drink this?" is not good. –  Mar 06 '15 at 14:52
  • Welcome to ELU, schettino72. When you get a moment click on this Link and take the TOUR and also click on the HELP button on the right-side of the title bar and check–out the “HELP CENTER”, if you haven’t already done so. There’s a lot to learn about this site, such as how to ask good questions and provide good answers, all about rep points and the site privileges they confer. It’s well worth looking around. Anyway, enjoy yourself, and we’ll see you around. :-) –  Mar 06 '15 at 14:54
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    @LittleEva: Thanks. I see that. But I think I'll leave the comment up if'n someone stumbles upon this question with AAVE in mind. – tylerharms Mar 06 '15 at 14:57
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    Related :http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/62045/how-often-do-people-say-gotta-wanna-or-gonna-in-english-speaking-countrie –  Mar 06 '15 at 14:58
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    Gonna: http://grammarist.com/usage/gonna/ –  Mar 06 '15 at 15:00
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    @schettino72 - The use of these slang terms is a bit confusing to non-natives, and your question makes perfect sense. Please refer to the 2 links I posted above and also to other users comments . –  Mar 06 '15 at 15:12
  • Thanks all for comments. I added a clarification... Please add an answer! I cant accept comments :) – schettino72 Mar 06 '15 at 17:47
  • No, not in Standard English, the prestige dialect, but yes for dialects that allow the copula to be omitted. (Dialectal English influenced by Hawaiian pidgin does allow that, but there I think you'd get "go" rather than "gonna".) – Greg Lee Mar 06 '15 at 18:12

1 Answers1

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Since you're already using slang, adhering to grammar rules is really just a suggestion. The following sentences may be spoken by everyday folks:

"He gonna kill me!"
"Dear sandwich: I'mma gonna eat you!"
"We gonna party down tonight!"

It's much more casual (and often used with improper grammar facetiously). So, while not grammatically correct, the construction certainly does still exist.

Ian MacDonald
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    I think it's worth noting that, where I live, those examples would only occur in deliberate attempts to sound uneducated (he's gonna = casual; he gonna = ungrammatical or jocular). As always, the golden rule of knowing one's audience applies. – Anonym Mar 06 '15 at 19:29
  • It would be amusing to be a grammarian that only deals in the proper usage of slang. "No, dude, not 'gonna kill ya', but 'otta kill ya'...you raised in a barn???" – Oldcat Mar 07 '15 at 01:03