The abbreviation “betcha” comes from the phrase “bet you“. It is a neo-slang created at the beginning of the 20th century. This form arose as a result of fast speech just from the phrase “bet you”. It is often used to express approval, confidence, a strong positive reaction or to encourage another person. It is more likely to be encountered among teenagers.
Sentence construction
Sentence formation is very simple and intuitive. The sentence is formed in much the same way as when using the full form of “bet you”.
Subject + betcha + pronoun + the rest of the sentence.
Example:
I bet you he visited every pub in Paris. = I betcha he visited every pub in Paris.
Other examples:
- He was in Paris the whole year… I betcha he’s not going to come next month.
- I betcha every person in this room was drunk yesterday!
- I betcha you can’t jump up on this wall!
The shape of You betcha
The phrase “You betcha” is mainly used to express strong approval. Its meaning can be compared to synonyms such as “be sure about that“, “absolutely” or “of course“. It often occurs in answers or at the beginning of a sentence.
Example:
- You betcha, there is no problem a coffee could not fix.
- Are you ok? You betcha!
- Do you really want to do this? You betcha I want!