gotta
- 01 B1 Intermediate
you use this when you need to do something or when something is necessary.
an informal contraction of 'have got to', used to express obligation, necessity, or a strong recommendation.
Simple“I've had a great time, but I gotta go home now before it gets too late.”
In context“If we want to catch the last train, we gotta finish this meeting in the next five minutes.”
UsageUsed as a semi-modal verb followed by the base form of a verb; it does not change form for person or tense.
Teacher's tipWhile very common in speech and pop culture, students should avoid using this in any formal writing or professional emails.
PitfallI gotta to go now. I gotta go now.The word 'gotta' already includes the meaning of 'to', so you do not need to add 'to' after it.
Contraction of got + to.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.