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Abbreviations in English song lyrics - English lesson
Abbreviations in English song lyrics
In English songs, we often hear shortened words. Artists love using abbreviations to make lyrics sound more natural, faster, and cooler. It's super useful to know them if you want to understand your favorite songs in English!
Let's look at the most common ones:
1. gonna
This means going to.
Example: "I'm gonna love you" = I am going to love you.
2. wanna
This is short for want to.
Example: "I wanna dance with somebody" = I want to dance with somebody.
3. gotta
It comes from got to or have to.
Example: "I gotta go" = I have to go.
4. ain't
This is a slang word. It can mean am not, is not, are not, or have not. It's not grammatically correct, but very common in songs.
Example: "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone" = There isn't any sunshine when she's gone.
5. lemme
This means let me.
Example: "Lemme love you" = Let me love you.
6. gimme
This means give me.
Example: "Gimme more" = Give me more.
7. 'cause / cuz / cos
These are all short versions of because.
Example: "'Cause I'm happy" = Because I'm happy.
8. ya
This is a casual way to say you.
Example: "I miss ya" = I miss you.
9. 'em
This replaces them.
Example: "Hit ‘em up" = Hit them.
10. outta
This means out of.
Example: "I'm outta time" = I'm out of time.
11. kinda
This is short for kind of, which means "a little" or "sort of".
Example: "It's kinda crazy" = It's a little crazy.
12. shoulda / coulda / woulda
These are quick ways to say should have / could have / would have.
Example: "Shoulda known better" = I should have known better.
Remember:
These words are very common in songs, videos, and casual speech. But in formal writing (like at school), we don't usually use them. Still, they're really useful if you want to understand and speak more naturally.




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