ima
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. a very informal way to say 'I am going to'. It is mostly used in texting or when speaking very quickly with friends.
phrasal verb. a contracted form of 'I am going to', representing a phonetic reduction of 'I'm gonna'. Highly informal and restricted to specific dialects or casual digital communication.
Ima head out now, see you later.
If you don't start getting ready soon, ima leave without you.
While common in casual speech and song lyrics, using 'ima' in a professional email would likely be seen as a sign of extreme informality or a lack of attention to register.
Always followed by the base form of a verb; functions as a future-tense marker in casual speech.
Ima to go to the store.Ima go to the store.Like 'gonna', 'ima' already includes the sense of 'to' and is followed directly by the base verb.
Last updated May 8, 2026