Yesterday, we talked about using the present continuous tense. Present continuous tells about something that is happening continually right now. We use helping verb is, am, or are with an -ing verb to indicate present continuous tense.
Today we will talk about finna and gonna, two verbs that I notice often in speech and writing.
I’m finna get something to eat.
I’m gonna do my homework.
These two verbs are present progressive verbs.
I’m finna translates to “I’m fixing to,” which means “I’m preparing to…” or “I’m getting ready to….”
I’m gonna actually means “I’m going to.”
Some people complain that gonna and finna are not actual words and should never be used. I disagree. It’s true that gonna and finna are not conventional English, but they are not necessarily incorrect. Gonna and finna are forms of colloquial English – casual English that gets spoken among friends. You may say these two verbs in everyday conversation, but it’s probably best that you don’t use them in formal situations such as an essay for school, a conversation with your boss, or a college interview.
Understand that gonna and finna are present progressive tense verbs in colloquial English. Gonna is a version of “going to” and finna means “fixing to.” Enjoy them in casual conversation. Eliminate them from formal speech and writing.