"Fixin' to" is the national verb of Texas. You will certainly find it in other states as well, but it is especially widespread in Texas. For many of us, it is the default verb for anything involving the near future. And most of us replace that final "o" with an "a": "Fixin' ta." As my mother would say: "I'm fixin' ta vacuum in there, so y'all don't get too comfortable." (I'm getting ready to vacuum in there, so don't get too comfortable.)
"Fixin' to" is about three things:
Intentionality: something we intend to do, which is why not much gets done in many households. We are always just fixin' to, without actually fixing anything. Congress sometimes has the same problem: it is always fixin' to fix something, but never fixes it.
Contemplation: "Hold your horses, Martha, I'm fixin' to decide." (Wait a moment, Martha, I'm getting ready to decide.)
Warning: "I'm fixin' to get mad here in a minute." (I'm about to get angry here in a minute.)
If you told me I could not use "fixin' to", like many Texans, I would be grammatically paralyzed for a while. I have no backup for that position. I have no other verb sitting on the bench ready to jump in. I could send in "preparing to" or "getting ready to", but neither is as good a piece of grammatical magic as "fixin' to". "Fixin' to" has it all: it can run, pass, kill time, and finish the game.
For example, I asked my brother Country Dave whether he had fixed the lawn mower I brought him last week. He said:
"I was fixin' to fix it this mornin', but I decided to fix breakfast first 'cuz I saw all these fixin's I knew would make a fine omelet, so right now I'm fixin' to eat, but when I finish, I'm fixin' to look for my tools. If I can find 'em, I'll get started on fixin' your mower." (I was getting ready to fix it this morning, but I decided to fix breakfast first because I saw all these ingredients that I knew would make a fine omelet, so right now I'm getting ready to eat, but when I finish, I'm going to look for my tools. If I can find them, I'll get started on fixing your mower.)
You have to stand in awe of that sentence's sheer dexterity and avoidance of work.
Of course, the word "fix" also has uses outside "fixin' to." Let's break it down by tense:
Past tense: "I done fixed it" (I've already fixed it), which is rare because most of the time we are only fixin' to fix things.
Conditional: "I might coulda fixed it if he hadn't tried to fix it first, but now it's fixed for good." (I might have been able to fix it if he hadn't tried to fix it first, but now it's fixed forever.)
Future tense: "Soon as I finish this beer, I'm fixin' to think of a way to fix that for you." (As soon as I finish this beer, I'm going to think of a way to fix that for you.)
And then there is this beautiful mixture of present and future that does not really have a name. It is a pure Southern hybrid: "I'm fixin' to fix it." (I'm getting ready to fix it.)
And now I'm fixin' to conclude this commentary by leaving you with the finest piece of folk wisdom ever spoken about the word "fix": "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." (If it isn't broken, don't fix it.)
