Reduction Mistakes: “Wanna” or “Wantsta”

Do you have problem understanding when a native speaker talk to you? It’s probably because native English speakers often reduce their speech; their speech seems to run together. It sounds like the native speakers always speak fast. Well, they don’t always do that; they speak in normal speed, but they squeeze the words, shrink them so that they can say as many words as possible in the shortest amount of time.

The common reduced speech form you often hear is wanna; it is the reduction of want to. Say wanna with I/you/they/we.

Examples:

• Do you wanna go out to the movie tonight?
• They don’t wanna admit it.
• We wanna make sure you’re OK.
• I don’t wanna go to sleep now.

I often hear English learners say wanna with he/she/it. That’s wrong.

• She wanna go home now. ⇒ Say: She wantsta go home now.
• He wanna be a doctor when he grows up. ⇒ Say: He wantsta be a doctor when he grows up.

Say wantsta with he/she/it.  “Wantsta”  (click the link to know how to pronounce the word) is the reduction of wants to.