Speak Like a Native: The Ultimate Guide to 50 English Informal Reductions

 

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why native English speakers seem to speak so quickly? The secret is in Informal Reductions. These are shortened versions of words and phrases commonly used in casual conversation. Mastering these will not only improve your understanding of movies and music, but will also make you sound more fluent and natural.

Note: These reductions are for spoken English and informal texting only. Avoid using them in formal writing, exams, or professional emails.

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1. Most Common Daily Reductions.

These are the "Big Five" that you will hear in almost every casual conversation.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
gonna	going to	It’s not gonna be easy.
wanna	want to	Do you wanna join us?
gotta	got to	I gotta go now.
lemme	let me	Lemme check my schedule.
gimme	give me	Gimme a second, please.

2. Modal & Auxiliary Reductions (The "Have" & "To" Group)

Native speakers often blend modal verbs with "have" or "to."

Reduction	Full Form	Example
shoulda	should have	I shoulda eaten breakfast.
couldna	couldn't have	You couldna said it better.
musta	must have	It musta been love.
hafta / hasta	have to / has to	He hasta attend the meeting.
oughta	ought to	They oughta build more parks.

3. Question & Pronoun Blending

This group is where learners usually get confused because the words blend into a single sound.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
doncha	don't you	Doncha wanna stay healthy?
howarya	how are you	Howarya doing today?
woujya	would you	What woujya like to drink?
tellem	tell them	Someone should tellem the truth.
zit	is it	Zit sad or zit funny?

4. "OF" Reductions (Quantity & Nouns)

These are extremely common when describing amounts or types of things.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
a lotta	a lot of	"You’re gonna have a lotta fun."
lotsa	lots of	"I plan on eating lotsa food."
cuppa	cup of	"Would you like a cuppa tea?"
kinda	kind of	"I’m kinda tired today."
sorta	sort of	"I sorta made my own happiness."
typa	type of	"He’s that typa manager."
outa	out of	"Get outa here!"
mucha	much of	"She does mucha her work abroad."

5. Complex & Rare Reductions

These will make you look like an "Advanced" English speaker.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
I’d’ve	I would have	"I’d’ve gone if I’d known."
I’mma	I am going to	"I’mma call him right now."
mighta	might have	"I mighta left my keys at home."
mustna	must not have	"He mustna washed his car yet."
shouldna	shouldn't have	"I shouldna used those words."
wouldna	wouldn't have	"He wouldna dared to do that."
coulda	could have	"We coulda won the game."
dunno	I don't know	"I dunno, it just happened."

6. Short & Slangy Reductions

Perfect for fast conversations and casual texting.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
cos / cuz	because	"I'm late cos I missed the bus."
innit	isn't it	"Nice weather today, innit?"
ya	you	"See ya later!"
needa	need to	"I needa tell you something."
tryna	trying to	"I'm tryna decide what to eat."
useta	used to	"I'm useta winning."
supposta	supposed to	"They're supposta arrive soon."
c’mon	come on	"Oh c'mon, you're joking!"
betcha	bet you	"I betcha it's gonna rain."
s’more	some more	"Try to get s’more sleep."

7. Final Essential Reductions (Completing the 50)

To truly master the flow of natural English, you can't ignore these last few blends. Some of these, like ain't, are legendary in slang, while others like gotcha are used in almost every casual conversation.

Reduction	Full Form	Example
ain’t	am not / is not / has not	"She ain’t coming to the party."
hadda	had to	"I hadda finish my work early."
didntcha	didn’t you	"Didntcha see the news?"
dontcha	don’t you	"Dontcha think it's a bit cold?"
wontcha	won’t you	"Wontcha stay for dinner?"
gotcha	got you	"I gotcha. I'll be there."
n	and	"Rock n roll."
wantsta	wants to	"He wantsta buy a new car."

Conclusion

Using these reductions will help your English flow more naturally. Practice saying them aloud and look for them in your favorite English television shows!