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Glite Dictionary
whaddya

whaddya

15 9.9
A casual spoken way to ask what someone thinks or wants
  • other
  • /ˈwʌd.jə/
  • Informal
: qué piensas
  • Hey, whaddya think about the new restaurant?

Examples

  • Hey, whaddya need from the store before I leave?

  • Whaddya say we grab some coffee after class?

  • I was wondering whaddya think about going to the movies tonight?

  • So, whaddya want to do tonight?

  • Whaddya think about going to the movies tonight?

  • He said, "Whaddya want for dinner?"

  • Whaddya mean when you say that?

Synonyms

what'd
vswhaddya
  • Informal
720 8.6

A short spoken form of 'what did' or 'what would' used in casual speech

is used for present or identity questions rather than past or hypothetical ones
whatcha
vswhaddya
  • Informal
56 9.9

A casual way to ask what you are doing or thinking

is mainly spoken and used to begin casual oral questions
whaddaya
vswhaddya
  • Informal
9 9.9

To ask what someone thinks or wants now in casual speech

is broader, covering 'what are you' and 'what did you' forms as well

Surface Forms

whaddya main

Morphology

whaddya = what + do + you (semi-transparent) = what + do + you

The form is a spoken contraction of the phrase 'what do you' (or similar), so meaning is directly recoverable to speakers but the informal phonetic spelling and slight ambiguity of the underlying phrase make it less transparently analyzable for learners.

Etymology

The word whaddya comes from saying what + do you (or what + did you) very quickly, so it sounds like 'what do you' or 'what did you' said fast. That's why whaddya is a casual spoken way to start a question.