Do you ever think that malls are gonna go extinct?

[Maybo]

1. Do you ever think that malls are gonna go extinct?
2. Have you ever thought that malls are gonna go extinct?

I heard someone said no.1. What the difference from no.2 in meaning?

 

[emsr2d2]

Both are possible but the main problem is that shopping malls don't "go extinct". Flora and fauna (and humans) do.

 

[Tarheel]

@Maybo People are always going to shop for things. Is the idea that people will eventually buy everything online?

 

[Maybo]

@Maybo People are always going to shop for things. Is the idea that people will eventually buy everything online?

Yes.

 

[Tarheel]

I could be wrong, but I think that when people buy food they want to be able to eat it without waiting a couple of days.

 

[Barque]

1. Do you ever think that malls are gonna go extinct?
2. Have you ever thought that malls are gonna go extinct?

On a separate note, "gonna" isn't a word.

It's the way "going to" is pronounced in some American accents. Unless you have an American accent, it's likely to sound very out of place when you speak, and it isn't meant to be used in writing unless you're quoting someone who says it that way.

 

[5jj]

I heard someone said no.1.

I heard someone say no.1.

 

[Maybo]

On a separate note, "gonna" isn't a word.

It's the way "going to" is pronounced in some American accents. Unless you have an American accent, it's likely to sound very out of place when you speak, and it isn't meant to be used in writing unless you're quoting someone who says it that way.

I thought all native English speakers would use “gonna”.

 

[Amigos4]

I thought all native English speakers would use “gonna”.

I'm "gonna" forget that you ever thought all native English speakers would use "gonna". They shouldn't and they don't.

 

[Maybo]

I'm "gonna" forget that you ever thought all native English speakers would use "gonna". They shouldn't and they don't.

What’s the difference between them:
1. You ever thought that…
2. You have ever thought that…

 

[5jj]

I thought all native English speakers would use “gonna”.

That depends on the situation. In informal speech, many people do not carefully enunciate the four syllables of BE going to, especially not the full to-syllable (/tu:/. However quite a few do not go as far as gonna.

 

[emsr2d2]

You wrote "I heard someone said (sic) no 1" in your first post so I didn't correct your "gonna" to "going to" because I assumed you were directly quoting that person and they actually said "gonna". If that's the case, that's fine, as the others have said.
I rarely use "going to" except on this forum. In spoken English, I use "gonna".

 

[5jj]

In informal spoken English, my version is close to /gəʊŋtə/, with a very light /t/.

 

[jutfrank]

On a separate note, "gonna" isn't a word.

It's the way "going to" is pronounced in some American accents. Unless you have an American accent, it's likely to sound very out of place when you speak

It has nothing to with American accents. It's natural and extremely common in almost all varieties.

 

[Skrej]

Both are possible but the main problem is that shopping malls don't "go extinct". Flora and fauna (and humans) do.

I don't see any problems with the usage. For years, the media (at least in the US) has been talking about the 'death of the shopping malls', how malls are 'dying out', and even 'dead malls'. The term 'extinct' does see some usage within the topic.

Back to the original question about differences:
1. Do you ever think that malls are gonna go extinct?- I would prefer 'Do you think that malls are ever going to go extinct?', but I'm not surprised to hear the word order in your version.
2. Have you ever thought that malls are gonna go extinct?

#1 is asking your opinion about whether malls will ever disappear or not.
#2 is asking if you have ever had the thought that malls will go extinct.

Subtle differences, but they're essentially asking the same general question about your opinion on the future of malls.

 

[Maybo]

#1 is asking your opinion about whether malls will ever disappear or not.

Is the function of “ever” in #1 just an emphasis?
I think I have problems understanding “ever” because “will ever disappear” and “will disappear” mean the same to me.

 

[Skrej]

'Ever' in this context means 'at any time'. See definition 2A here and A2 here.

Do you think malls will ever disappear? This allows for the possibility of them disappearing at any time (perhaps much later) in the future.
Do you think malls will disappear? This is asking more for a yes/no prediction regardless of time.

It is a subtle difference, yes. I guess 'ever' allows you to frame your answer less definitively with an allowance for an indefinite time in the future. whereas the second one is asking for a more certain prediction regardless of time.

That being said, I don't think it's all that important a distinction to worry about.

 

[Tarheel]

What’s the difference between them:
1. You ever thought that…
2. You have ever thought that…

Assuming you mean it as a question, say: "Have you ever thought that ...?

As for the second one, in my humble opinion, it is not used.