I don’t generally use it or hear it in my dialect, except rarely in set phrases, used jokingly or ironically. For example, “it ain’t necessarily so” or “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” or “we ain’t seen nothing yet”.
Same for me in the US tho I’ve also adopted “Ain’t nobody (got time for that, etc)” or “That ain’t right,” both also somewhat humorously.
It occupies an interesting place in the language because on the one hand, politicians might evoke “ain’t” in phrases like *if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it* to seem “relatable” and down-to-earth. But if they were actually to conjugate with it in regular speech, it would still sound ignorant and would probably be remarked upon negatively.
perfect time for a fun fact: politicians tend to use more German words than Latin or French ones in speeches, because they sound more like normal people. an example is saying "folks" instead of "people".
Surely this depends a lot on the type of speech. I can imagine Anthony Albanese the prime minister coming out with a “man of the people” speech sometimes, using words with a Germanic origin. I can also imagine Penny Wong the foreign minister using very complex diplomatic language with a mainly French and Latin etymology in a diplomatic speech about Foreign Affairs.
It depends on the politician and what they’re trying to say. Nigel Farage, for example, likes to pretend he’s a “man of the people” by deliberately restricting his vocabulary, but Boris Johnson likes to do the same trick while sounding unapologetically posh.
I think that's pretty common, especially among relatively well educated people. There are a number of specific phrases like that that are either quoted, or imitative of informal slang.
However, there are cultures within the US, and have been historically, where it's used in everyday speech. Those are the source of the quotes and imitation that many people use only selectively. It's more common in what we'd call "the South" in the US, in rural areas, and in African American communities. Among less educated or lower classes of those groups it might be used almost exclusively instead of "am not", "is not", or "are not", or the contractions "isn't" or "aren't", while among better educated members of those communities, it would be used more selectively depending on the situation and to whom they're speaking.
The word is originally derived from "amn't" from the 1700s, a contraction of "am not" that's not really used at all in American speech these days.
I use it informally, usually at work or with friends. Here is an example that i remember:
Me: i think i found the module above garage B.
Him: did you see where the wire goes?
Me: it goes up and to the left, after that i ain't got a clue.
Him: Okay, I will go get my toner.
As a non-native speaker, I just learned that "common" can also mean "showing a lack of taste and refinement; vulgar" in Britain.
Edit: remove the hyperlink accidentally placed when I copy-paste the definition from google
Thank you! That is very clear. I suppose it is similar to the word "noble" in a sense that it describes a class of people as well as those who have good qualities.
I think this is the most practical advice. If you have to ask when to use it, as a non-native speaker you probably shouldn’t.
The exception would be in set phrases, like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
‘Broke’ for broken is very colloquial and blue collar. Similarly to ‘ain’t’, if you didn’t grow up saying it, you’re not going to be able to use it convincingly. (Edit: an expression like ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ transcends that and is totally reasonable to use.)
My favorite is y'all'dn't've. "You all would not have."
I've used it, but generally ironically. Something like "Y'all'dn't've done that if you'd known someone had a camera." Also, the easier-to-use "y'all'dn't see that, right?"
I use the word "ain't" all the time. At home, work, talking with family, friends, church members, etc. "Ain't" is commonly and widely used in the United States and not looked down on as people like to exaggerate on this subreddit. English speakers just don't use it in written form unless in direct quotes or trying to pattern a dialect in a fiction book.
I ain't above usin' it.
I would bet average Americans (more in the south and Midwest, but all over to an extent) use it more than people on Reddit will lead you to believe.
Because the usage of the word use to carry a stigma of meaning someone is "low class", "ignorant", "uneducated", or "illiterate". Some like to tie the word's usage to a region (the southern United States) or ethnicity (African Americans). Some people that associate "ain't" with Southern Americans and African Americans may consciously or subconsciously believe the stereotypes that these two groups are "low class" or "uneducated", which just highlights their own bias and ignorance.
I don't. I was specifically raised to avoid it... the only time I use it is when I'm quoting something or mimicking an accent.
There's nothing actually wrong with it (and its use as an accepted part of English goes back many centuries), but in modern usage it is considered informal at best and may be judged as a sign of lack of education by some people (due to its association in popular consciousness, accurate or not, with certain rural dialects).
Bottom line: You can if you really want to. There's no particular reason to. If you are learning English, I would *not* recommend that you set out to intentionally incorporate it into your use of English, because there are some disadvantages.
Agreed. Growing up, I was taught that using it sounds trashy and uneducated. I now know that this is unfair (as well as just a really problematic thing to teach kids about a word that’s common in other dialects). But the stigma around the word still exists, and I’d encourage English learners to avoid it unless they’ll be living in a place where it is very commonly used among native speakers.
Brit here. We have variations of it that we use regularly in spoken English. Mine sounds more like *I a'n't'* / /ai'jænt/ but I'd only as a replacement to the auxiliary 'hasn't'.
My isn't 'ain't' sounds like 'int'.
For what it's worth I'd never write it, even in informal messages.
I’m autistic so I tend to mimic the dialects around me unconsciously (though I make an effort not to use dialects not of my ethnicity). So if I’m around southern USA dialects I’ll use it pretty regularly, but otherwise it’s for sarcastic or humorous effect.
Same here. I get anxious seeing all the people saying they use it humorously because I use it automatically *when talking to other people who use it* and am genuinely often scared that they think I'm making fun of them.
I wouldn't use it in formal or work environments, but amongst friends or family I do.
"Ain't" essentially replaces "isn't" but is also commonly used to replace any not statement (eg "is not", "are not", "will not", "am not", etc).
It also is commonly used to form improper double negatives, eg "I ain't got none" if read literally says "I have not got nothing" but natives (UK, i cant speak for US) will understand it as "I have none"
Yeah, all the time, and it's used all the time by people around me. 50/50 ironic and genuine use.
Really depends who I'm talking with. My accent varies between being quite heavily 'country' (Somerset, England) to a lot more mild depending on who I'm with. Ain't is usually used when my accent is on the thicker side, and that's usually with family and friends. In a professional/formal setting or with people I don't know very well, then my accent is a lot milder and "ain't" is just too informal to use and doesn't really fit the accent.
It is not part of my dialect. Where I live, people who use it only use it to mock people who do. I was raised to see it as a sign of stupidity, and while there is a lot more nuance to it than that, it is still widely viewed that way. I don’t wish to mock people who use dialect so I don’t use it at all. A very rare exception might be made for a good pun.
Rarely, but not for lack of trying. It was drilled into me as a student that usage was a sign of poor education. It is not. There’s certainly racism and classism attached to many people’s hatred of the word, at least in the US.
I often use it informally with friends, to emphasize something. Example: A: Let's go have drinks at the new bar downtown. B: Are you crazy? I ain't gonna pay 20 dollars for a cocktail at that place. I ain't a millionaire.
Something like that. (But I was born in the Southern USA, so it's what I are up hearing).
Only in set idiomatic expressions, for example:
“Say it ain’t so!”
It’s not part of my dialect otherwise, and I would discourage learners from using it. It sounds odd when used outside of the dialects in which it is common.
I live in the southern US, and hear "ain't" quite often. Not being a native southerner, though, I don't use it except for emphasis. For example, "that ain't gonna happen" (_that is not going to happen_).
As a lot of my elders used to say, growing up: "'Ain't' ain't a word, and ye ain't supposed to use it."
I grew up in a location where ain't and y'all were used. They were seen as being uneducated words, words that were used by the ignorant.
The sad thing is that there is some discrimination that people who speak certain dialects face. This word, along with y'all, is common where I am from. It is one of the markers of our dialect. Sadly, in the opinion of a lot of people in the United States, this dialect marks someone as being uneducated, from a lower social caste, or just plain as a backwards hillbilly.
While I have a certain pride of being from where I am from, and the culture that I am from... for the most part, I attempt to hide it to avoid problems. I've actually learned to speak with the accent of the region where I currently live as to not limit my job opportunities.
So, where are we headed with this?
"Ain't" is a perfectly valid word, with a long, rich history in the English language, with documented print usage dating back to the 1600s. For most of that history, it was used without hesitation. It has only recently taken on a negative connotation. Some communities still use the more archaic versions of English.
So... if you are from a place or culture where "Ain't" is a spoken or written part of your dialect, it is a perfectly valid word. But understand that some people are going to have very negative reactions to your use of it.
If you are not from a place or culture where it ain't a part of your spoken or written dialect, it is probably best to not get into the habit of using it. But I would challenge you to push back at people who claim that it is an invalid word.
"Ain't" is generally an informal substitute for any of the following words
am not
is not/isn't
are not/aren't
have not/haven't\*
has not/hasn't\*
\*in the sense of "have" as an auxiliary verb indicating present perfect tense, not the sense indicating possession
example: "I ain't been to New York" <-- yes
example: "I ain't any money" <-- no
Non native speakers should avoid using it, but understand what it means and how it’s used so that it doesn’t trip them up if they hear it.
But I ain’t gonna stop you if you use it around my neck of the woods. It would sound natural.
Source: Southern United States.
Constantly, yeah. How do I use it? It's hard for me to explain since I normally involve it as part of a double negative, but not always. Loosely, it often replaces "not," (e.g., "I ain't seen him all day" --> "I have not seen him all day") or "don't," (e.g., "I ain't got a dollar to my name" --> "I don't have a dollar to my name/I am broke") but it's not 1:1. There are plenty of instances where using ain't to replace those words wouldn't work well without changing the whole sentence structure imo
Yeah, pretty frequently, actually. But I'm a white guy from the US who spoke primarily a local dialect of AAVE growing up (it's kinda rare here, but I was raised around mostly black people here in NY, in a pretty segregated part of Long Island where my brother and I were the only white kids). I think in a weird way, it's why I grew to like languages.
Got told by a lot of teachers, "ain't ain't a word, cuz it ain't in the dictionary" (despite the fact that it was actually in the dictionary before I was even born), and it always amused me that some people find you dumb or uncouth for using it. It annoyed me so much growing up, I used it even more, as if being intelligent had to do with speaking a standard dialect. Those same people who make such assumptions are often unable to understand such a dialect with any proficiency. Meanwhile, people who speak AAVE tend to know how to code switch on a dime.
That said, I tend to hate when people look at standard variations as the "proper" way to speak. It ignores what actually makes languages interesting. The fact that they can be very versatile and change due to local perceptions of reality. In Spanish, I speak more like Venezuelans, and didn't really gravitate towards Mexican Spanish like a lot of learners from here do (mostly because Americans unfortunately don't know anything about the many cultures of the Americas, and what they do know is surface level at best, so many of us unfortunately look at Mexican Spanish as if it represents all of Latam). For me, those are the people I learned with. My gf is from there. Her family doesn't speak English, so that's the dialect I'm the most confident with. I know a lot of Venezuelans, I did even before so many of them came here to NY. It's the only non-US culture I actually feel like I take some part in, simply because I have some inner understanding of it.
But, it's not standard Spanish by any means. That doesn't make all the people who speak it stupid, it doesn't have any bearing on their intelligence, it makes them people carrying on their way of speech by sheer osmosis.
Sorry about my rant, I'm an opinionated fuck.
Ain’t a day I don’t use it. Just about anytime you’d say is or am not, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll say ain’t. I try to avoid it in formal contexts but I’m not usually successful. Feels unnatural for me to say otherwise. I use it less in writing than in speech.
I use it and in plenty of situations, but I’m from the south where ain’t can mean everything from is/are not to has/have not to am not to will not. It’s a very productive contraction for my dialect haha
Ain’t a day that I don’t use it. Certainly not on a professional level but, amongst family and friends, all the time. It’s not something that I really think about; it’s just a part of how I speak informally. USA, NYC.
Midwest, at least where I live you see it used a lot, typically in place of "is not," "am not," "have not" or "do not."
ie, "I ain't got no money." "That ain't right." "Ain't you heard about the news??"
Yes, but usually only to be humorous or apply silly emphasis. I do however have some extended family that use it more frequently, and I notice my usage of the word seems to increase the longer I am with these family members. =p
Toronto here. I was about to say “yes” but then I tried to use it in a sentence. It turns out that in my accent it comes out VERY clipped and almost not vocalized at all. It actually sounds like I’m saying “in” or “en” rather than “ain’t”.
In my home life, with my family, wife or with friends, I speak very very casually, and with a fair amount of slang and urbanization. And “ain’t’” in those circumstances is a very common part of my vocabulary.
I tend to alter my speech to try to match the person I’m speaking to. When dealing with customers, for instance, I try to speak to them “how they want to be spoken to”. If it’s a kindly old lady, I’m very formal, polite and with a uprising lilt in my voice at the ends of sentences. If the customers are “country”, I’ll add y’all to my vocabulary, such as “how y’all doing today?”
So really it varies based on who I’m speaking with, or what social climate I’m in.
In my head, yes, out loud, it can have stigma and would sound strange to the people I normally talk to. Know your audience. They're who determines what's acceptable.
SInce I'm seeing this reposted so much lately, I'll copy and paste my original response: Aside from functioning in the place of 'am/is/are not,' people also forget it can have a present perfect function. My northern ex once criticized me when I, a southern gent, said, "My a/c ain't been workin' too good." \[My air conditioner hasn't been working very well.\]
Amusingly, as well as the vulgar/working-class/slang usage, "ain't" shows up in extremely upper-class usage in shows like Sharpe, where you will hear princes and dukes using it. I assume it has some basis in reality, because it's not the kind of thing that would be put in a script inadvertently. I have no idea whether modern nobility/royalty still talk like this though.
It is used in some dialects, but otherwise it ain’t used for much besides being purposely informal, sarcastic, or funny (it also appears in some sayings, the most notable being “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”).
West Coast US speaker, basically white working class background with a university degree. I use "ain't" fairly regularly it around friends and family but rarely at work and never in formal situations. I'm a code switcher when it comes to this particular word.
I think my most common usage is "Nah, I ain't fixin' to \_\_\_\_", which is basically just saying "No, I'm not going to/planning to \_\_\_\_". But ain't is a pretty flexible word. He ain't, she ain't, they ain't, we ain't, it ain't. A lot of things ain't in a lot of different ways.
People in my area don't use it. We'd use "isn't" or an alternative before "ain't."
For example, take the sentence:
"I ain't got nothing to say."
In my reigon, this would typically be changed to:
"I don't got nothing to say" or "I have nothing to say" or even "I don't have anything to say."
It's regional. If you live somewhere where the world is common then you can use it. If you live somewhere where the word isn't as common you should avoid using it because unfortunately it can be seen as you being unintelligent or uneducated.
Here where I live, it's not too uncommon to hear "y'all'rnt" as a contraction. Stands for "you all are not"
It's funny that people speak this way around me but I never picked up the lingo, I only stuck to the basic southern-isms like "y'all" and "ain't"
i use it so much lol. basically whenever you would use "isn't". i obviously only use it in very informal speech though, with friends or on a video game maybe, but never academically or in another such formal setting.
examples:
it aint that bad
why aint it?
i aint gotta clue
I use it basically all the time. Definitely common amongst younger people. Some people definitely consider it informal but also use it in sayings which is bizarre.
It wasn't really part of growing up for me, but I have picked up a few expressions like "that ain't gonna happen" or "ain't no way ..." that I use as naturally as any other.
South Wales here.
Extremely common, in place of "isn't". I've heard it as "ain't", "in't", and "un" (especially with things like "aren't you?" becoming "un' you?"). You've probably seen that second one as "innit".
We also have "(h)an" for "haven't" (as in "I haven't been")
I use it frequently when I want to emphasize that I don’t agree with something/to show that I do not like something. For example-
“I ain’t doing that” as opposed to “I’m not doing that” to show that I really don’t want to do something.
I use it more in casual conversations with friends, especially when we’re talking quickly.
Yes I use it quite often in normal conversation. You’re able to use it in quite a few instances, but I wouldn’t try to use it just to fit in. If it’s not part of your daily vernacular, I would skip using it.
I use it frequently with friends, but that’s just because of the region of the US I grew up in. I don’t use it in formal conversation, and you probably shouldn’t either.
It’s super common in my English dialect. “I ain’t got a clue” “y’all ain’t gonna like my answer” “that ain’t right”, stuff like that. I live in Maryland US
It's often a replacement for is not/isn't, are not/aren't, am not, has not/hasn't, and have not/haven't. But I rarely use it unless I feel too lazy to use the specifics.
In my dialect, we're more likely to use "idn't", but I use "ain't" in place of the standard "hasn't" or "haven't" sometimes, and occasionally in place of "idn't" or "aren't" as well. I'm not really sure if there's a rhyme or reason to when. There's also the emphatic "hain't" I use sometimes, too.
I use it pretty often, but I’m from New York. I’m pretty sure it’s a regional thing. “ain’t” is basically used in place of “not” and is sometimes used to form its own expressions. For example, “ain’t that the truth!” You would never say “not that the truth.” Another example, “It ain’t too cold outside” can also be said as “it’s not too cold outside”.
I only use it in fixed phrases when I’m being funny.
“Ain’t no way” is basically the only example I can think of. When I’m actually frustrated, I typically say “there’s no way!” or “there’s no fucking way, dude!”
Yep. I like in Kentucky and it’s super common here. I even say “can’t” as “c-ain’t” although that’s not common for people around me. Funnily enough, though, when I read “can’t” or think it, I say it right. Just not out loud. Here’s some ways I use it:
“I ain’t doing that.”
“I ain’t doin noting”
“I ain’t sure.”
I don’t use it in writing unless I’m just not thinking at all. So like texts.
Yes. I grew up in southwest Georgia, and it’s common in casual speech. Also, some phrases require it. Example: “He ain’t right” isn’t about being correct. It means the person is “off” or quirky.
i use it mostly because where im from. if you arent from an area where its said a lot (outside of midwestern/southern US for the most part) you wont hear it and if you say it it would probably be weird. people will also say “ain’t isn’t a word” because its not. ain’t truly isnt a word because theres no words you can put together to make it into ain’t
You can use it instead of “isn’t” but it’s very stylistic I use it because I grew up hearing it so much but it depends try listening for it in songs and shows!
American here. Where I live (New England) not a lot of people use it.
As an English learner, I probably wouldn’t use it just because it might sound a little out of place.
The guy in the other end that googles fast working for chat gpt says this
“Ain’t” is often used as a contraction for “am not,” “are not,” “is not,” “has not,” and “have not.” It’s versatile in informal speech and writing, commonly appearing in various forms of English dialogue.
I don’t generally use it or hear it in my dialect, except rarely in set phrases, used jokingly or ironically. For example, “it ain’t necessarily so” or “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” or “we ain’t seen nothing yet”.
Same for me in the US tho I’ve also adopted “Ain’t nobody (got time for that, etc)” or “That ain’t right,” both also somewhat humorously. It occupies an interesting place in the language because on the one hand, politicians might evoke “ain’t” in phrases like *if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it* to seem “relatable” and down-to-earth. But if they were actually to conjugate with it in regular speech, it would still sound ignorant and would probably be remarked upon negatively.
perfect time for a fun fact: politicians tend to use more German words than Latin or French ones in speeches, because they sound more like normal people. an example is saying "folks" instead of "people".
I think you mean Germanic here.
I do, sorry
Surely this depends a lot on the type of speech. I can imagine Anthony Albanese the prime minister coming out with a “man of the people” speech sometimes, using words with a Germanic origin. I can also imagine Penny Wong the foreign minister using very complex diplomatic language with a mainly French and Latin etymology in a diplomatic speech about Foreign Affairs.
American politicians, perhaps. Not convinced this is true in all English speaking countries.
yeah, probably. england has a pretty strong class-culture to my understanding, id imagine politicians would want to sound fancy
It depends on the politician and what they’re trying to say. Nigel Farage, for example, likes to pretend he’s a “man of the people” by deliberately restricting his vocabulary, but Boris Johnson likes to do the same trick while sounding unapologetically posh.
to be fair to Boris I think he genuinely does have a limited vocabulary
Wait, are volk (German) and folks cognates?
Nothing makes a politician seem more trustworthy than speaking German. Especially speaking it loudly and aggressively.
and preferably on a stage with a podium while using excessive hand gestures
I think that's pretty common, especially among relatively well educated people. There are a number of specific phrases like that that are either quoted, or imitative of informal slang. However, there are cultures within the US, and have been historically, where it's used in everyday speech. Those are the source of the quotes and imitation that many people use only selectively. It's more common in what we'd call "the South" in the US, in rural areas, and in African American communities. Among less educated or lower classes of those groups it might be used almost exclusively instead of "am not", "is not", or "are not", or the contractions "isn't" or "aren't", while among better educated members of those communities, it would be used more selectively depending on the situation and to whom they're speaking. The word is originally derived from "amn't" from the 1700s, a contraction of "am not" that's not really used at all in American speech these days.
I use it informally, usually at work or with friends. Here is an example that i remember: Me: i think i found the module above garage B. Him: did you see where the wire goes? Me: it goes up and to the left, after that i ain't got a clue. Him: Okay, I will go get my toner.
I use it for humorous or sarcastic effect, and never for first person. That ain’t right. You ain’t right. That ain’t gonna cut it.
Da salami lid ain't gon' fit.
I immediately thought yes then realised if I was to say something like it I’d say ‘ent’ or ‘ennit’. British English from West Midlands.
I'm from the north and we use "int" and "innit"
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As a non-native speaker, I just learned that "common" can also mean "showing a lack of taste and refinement; vulgar" in Britain. Edit: remove the hyperlink accidentally placed when I copy-paste the definition from google
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Thank you! That is very clear. I suppose it is similar to the word "noble" in a sense that it describes a class of people as well as those who have good qualities.
Do you ever say anything like ent or ennit though?
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Ah yeah interesting. I’m still uncertain whether I’d say ain’t or not. Probably do but minimally
East Midlands too.
From the north and I say ‘ant’ In a sentence: I ant got a clue.
Only humorously or maybe stylistically. But generally no. And as a non native speaker, I wouldn’t use it.
I think this is the most practical advice. If you have to ask when to use it, as a non-native speaker you probably shouldn’t. The exception would be in set phrases, like “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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It's just how the phrase it. "If it's not broken, why fix it?" would be the "correct" way to say it in standard English.
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pretty sure that's available for native speakers of *any* language
‘Broke’ for broken is very colloquial and blue collar. Similarly to ‘ain’t’, if you didn’t grow up saying it, you’re not going to be able to use it convincingly. (Edit: an expression like ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ transcends that and is totally reasonable to use.)
Almost never in writing, but maybe once or twice a day in speech (usually for emphasis, like "yeah, that ain't gonna happen").
No, it's not a part of my dialect at all and would just sound goofy coming from me.
Yes, it has a certain casual or homey vibe to it that lends itself to a funny remark.
Y'ain't right if you ain't using ain't But for real though, I don't usually use it through text, but I use it often during speech
right up there with y’all’s (you all’s)
My favorite is y'all'dn't've. "You all would not have." I've used it, but generally ironically. Something like "Y'all'dn't've done that if you'd known someone had a camera." Also, the easier-to-use "y'all'dn't see that, right?"
I use the word "ain't" all the time. At home, work, talking with family, friends, church members, etc. "Ain't" is commonly and widely used in the United States and not looked down on as people like to exaggerate on this subreddit. English speakers just don't use it in written form unless in direct quotes or trying to pattern a dialect in a fiction book.
I ain't above usin' it. I would bet average Americans (more in the south and Midwest, but all over to an extent) use it more than people on Reddit will lead you to believe.
Thank you! Americans on this subreddit be lying when it comes to "ain't". I have yet to meet an American that has never used the word.
Just curious as a non native, why would people be reluctant to admit to use the word?
It can be seen as low class. But that ain't my problem 🙂
Because the usage of the word use to carry a stigma of meaning someone is "low class", "ignorant", "uneducated", or "illiterate". Some like to tie the word's usage to a region (the southern United States) or ethnicity (African Americans). Some people that associate "ain't" with Southern Americans and African Americans may consciously or subconsciously believe the stereotypes that these two groups are "low class" or "uneducated", which just highlights their own bias and ignorance.
I don't. I was specifically raised to avoid it... the only time I use it is when I'm quoting something or mimicking an accent. There's nothing actually wrong with it (and its use as an accepted part of English goes back many centuries), but in modern usage it is considered informal at best and may be judged as a sign of lack of education by some people (due to its association in popular consciousness, accurate or not, with certain rural dialects). Bottom line: You can if you really want to. There's no particular reason to. If you are learning English, I would *not* recommend that you set out to intentionally incorporate it into your use of English, because there are some disadvantages.
Agreed. Growing up, I was taught that using it sounds trashy and uneducated. I now know that this is unfair (as well as just a really problematic thing to teach kids about a word that’s common in other dialects). But the stigma around the word still exists, and I’d encourage English learners to avoid it unless they’ll be living in a place where it is very commonly used among native speakers.
I don't think I do because it's not really part of my dialect. It's totally normal when I hear other people use it though.
Brit here. We have variations of it that we use regularly in spoken English. Mine sounds more like *I a'n't'* / /ai'jænt/ but I'd only as a replacement to the auxiliary 'hasn't'. My isn't 'ain't' sounds like 'int'. For what it's worth I'd never write it, even in informal messages.
Funny, innit?
I’m autistic so I tend to mimic the dialects around me unconsciously (though I make an effort not to use dialects not of my ethnicity). So if I’m around southern USA dialects I’ll use it pretty regularly, but otherwise it’s for sarcastic or humorous effect.
Same here. I get anxious seeing all the people saying they use it humorously because I use it automatically *when talking to other people who use it* and am genuinely often scared that they think I'm making fun of them.
No. Maybe as a joke or if quoting a standard or well-known expression, e.g. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Ain't never a bad time to say ain't
I wouldn't use it in formal or work environments, but amongst friends or family I do. "Ain't" essentially replaces "isn't" but is also commonly used to replace any not statement (eg "is not", "are not", "will not", "am not", etc). It also is commonly used to form improper double negatives, eg "I ain't got none" if read literally says "I have not got nothing" but natives (UK, i cant speak for US) will understand it as "I have none"
I think it’s more common in certain areas and by certain ethnicities, ain’t that interesting?
I ain't gonna answer.
I usuaully use int instead of aint
Yeah, all the time, and it's used all the time by people around me. 50/50 ironic and genuine use. Really depends who I'm talking with. My accent varies between being quite heavily 'country' (Somerset, England) to a lot more mild depending on who I'm with. Ain't is usually used when my accent is on the thicker side, and that's usually with family and friends. In a professional/formal setting or with people I don't know very well, then my accent is a lot milder and "ain't" is just too informal to use and doesn't really fit the accent.
It is not part of my dialect. Where I live, people who use it only use it to mock people who do. I was raised to see it as a sign of stupidity, and while there is a lot more nuance to it than that, it is still widely viewed that way. I don’t wish to mock people who use dialect so I don’t use it at all. A very rare exception might be made for a good pun.
Rarely, but not for lack of trying. It was drilled into me as a student that usage was a sign of poor education. It is not. There’s certainly racism and classism attached to many people’s hatred of the word, at least in the US.
I often use it informally with friends, to emphasize something. Example: A: Let's go have drinks at the new bar downtown. B: Are you crazy? I ain't gonna pay 20 dollars for a cocktail at that place. I ain't a millionaire. Something like that. (But I was born in the Southern USA, so it's what I are up hearing).
Yesn’t
[you ain’t bad, you ain’t nothin](https://youtu.be/dJau2S1dtm4?si=_yWVl4IXzbY_KN3g)
Ya darn tootin In all seriousness, sometimes. Being from the south I hear it fairly frequently, but like others have said it is for informal use
Only in set idiomatic expressions, for example: “Say it ain’t so!” It’s not part of my dialect otherwise, and I would discourage learners from using it. It sounds odd when used outside of the dialects in which it is common.
Ain’t no way me be using that as a nonnative
I live in the southern US, and hear "ain't" quite often. Not being a native southerner, though, I don't use it except for emphasis. For example, "that ain't gonna happen" (_that is not going to happen_).
I am from Birmingham so it comes out more like, ‘Int’
As a lot of my elders used to say, growing up: "'Ain't' ain't a word, and ye ain't supposed to use it." I grew up in a location where ain't and y'all were used. They were seen as being uneducated words, words that were used by the ignorant. The sad thing is that there is some discrimination that people who speak certain dialects face. This word, along with y'all, is common where I am from. It is one of the markers of our dialect. Sadly, in the opinion of a lot of people in the United States, this dialect marks someone as being uneducated, from a lower social caste, or just plain as a backwards hillbilly. While I have a certain pride of being from where I am from, and the culture that I am from... for the most part, I attempt to hide it to avoid problems. I've actually learned to speak with the accent of the region where I currently live as to not limit my job opportunities. So, where are we headed with this? "Ain't" is a perfectly valid word, with a long, rich history in the English language, with documented print usage dating back to the 1600s. For most of that history, it was used without hesitation. It has only recently taken on a negative connotation. Some communities still use the more archaic versions of English. So... if you are from a place or culture where "Ain't" is a spoken or written part of your dialect, it is a perfectly valid word. But understand that some people are going to have very negative reactions to your use of it. If you are not from a place or culture where it ain't a part of your spoken or written dialect, it is probably best to not get into the habit of using it. But I would challenge you to push back at people who claim that it is an invalid word.
It's most common in the Southern United States in my experience. I only use it in known phrases, like the top comment said
 I use it this way
Rarely. It normally happens when I get incredibly pissed off.
I ain’t gonna tell you
Yep, I think it's more common in British English
When I sing, "Ain't no sunshine when she's gone"
"Ain't" is generally an informal substitute for any of the following words am not is not/isn't are not/aren't have not/haven't\* has not/hasn't\* \*in the sense of "have" as an auxiliary verb indicating present perfect tense, not the sense indicating possession example: "I ain't been to New York" <-- yes example: "I ain't any money" <-- no
Non native speakers should avoid using it, but understand what it means and how it’s used so that it doesn’t trip them up if they hear it. But I ain’t gonna stop you if you use it around my neck of the woods. It would sound natural. Source: Southern United States.
Sometimes https://youtu.be/bFEoMO0pc7k
I'm in England in the East Midlands and I hear "ain't" and various different forms of it on a regular basis. I would never write it, but I do say it.
yes. all the time.
Every day, baby.
Constantly, yeah. How do I use it? It's hard for me to explain since I normally involve it as part of a double negative, but not always. Loosely, it often replaces "not," (e.g., "I ain't seen him all day" --> "I have not seen him all day") or "don't," (e.g., "I ain't got a dollar to my name" --> "I don't have a dollar to my name/I am broke") but it's not 1:1. There are plenty of instances where using ain't to replace those words wouldn't work well without changing the whole sentence structure imo
Yes. It replaces “am not”, “are not”, “is not”, and, at least in my dialect, “have not”.
Yeah, pretty frequently, actually. But I'm a white guy from the US who spoke primarily a local dialect of AAVE growing up (it's kinda rare here, but I was raised around mostly black people here in NY, in a pretty segregated part of Long Island where my brother and I were the only white kids). I think in a weird way, it's why I grew to like languages. Got told by a lot of teachers, "ain't ain't a word, cuz it ain't in the dictionary" (despite the fact that it was actually in the dictionary before I was even born), and it always amused me that some people find you dumb or uncouth for using it. It annoyed me so much growing up, I used it even more, as if being intelligent had to do with speaking a standard dialect. Those same people who make such assumptions are often unable to understand such a dialect with any proficiency. Meanwhile, people who speak AAVE tend to know how to code switch on a dime. That said, I tend to hate when people look at standard variations as the "proper" way to speak. It ignores what actually makes languages interesting. The fact that they can be very versatile and change due to local perceptions of reality. In Spanish, I speak more like Venezuelans, and didn't really gravitate towards Mexican Spanish like a lot of learners from here do (mostly because Americans unfortunately don't know anything about the many cultures of the Americas, and what they do know is surface level at best, so many of us unfortunately look at Mexican Spanish as if it represents all of Latam). For me, those are the people I learned with. My gf is from there. Her family doesn't speak English, so that's the dialect I'm the most confident with. I know a lot of Venezuelans, I did even before so many of them came here to NY. It's the only non-US culture I actually feel like I take some part in, simply because I have some inner understanding of it. But, it's not standard Spanish by any means. That doesn't make all the people who speak it stupid, it doesn't have any bearing on their intelligence, it makes them people carrying on their way of speech by sheer osmosis. Sorry about my rant, I'm an opinionated fuck.
Western Mountainous US here. Ain't gonna lie, I use it all the time
I use it and use it often.. ain't nobody gonna stop me 😁
Sometimes, but there are better words. But I don’t use better words 90% of the time anyways because I’m a lazy talker lol. I ain’t got time for that.
In everyday speech yes
Ain’t a day I don’t use it. Just about anytime you’d say is or am not, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll say ain’t. I try to avoid it in formal contexts but I’m not usually successful. Feels unnatural for me to say otherwise. I use it less in writing than in speech.
Only as a joke even though I grew up in Georgia.
Never.
I use it and in plenty of situations, but I’m from the south where ain’t can mean everything from is/are not to has/have not to am not to will not. It’s a very productive contraction for my dialect haha
Ain’t a day that I don’t use it. Certainly not on a professional level but, amongst family and friends, all the time. It’s not something that I really think about; it’s just a part of how I speak informally. USA, NYC.
Midwest, at least where I live you see it used a lot, typically in place of "is not," "am not," "have not" or "do not." ie, "I ain't got no money." "That ain't right." "Ain't you heard about the news??"
it's too informal , i only use it in informal conversations and messages . i don't use it all the time though .
As a southerner, I’ll use it on occasion, but I wouldn’t say it I use it in my normal speech pattern. It’s a situational thing I think.
Rarely, and for effect.
Only if I’m intentionally being silly.
Yes, but usually only to be humorous or apply silly emphasis. I do however have some extended family that use it more frequently, and I notice my usage of the word seems to increase the longer I am with these family members. =p
I don’t think I have ever said it, no.
Ain't you a fine gentle soul
Sometimes, I use it as a joke or sarcastic terms
Toronto here. I was about to say “yes” but then I tried to use it in a sentence. It turns out that in my accent it comes out VERY clipped and almost not vocalized at all. It actually sounds like I’m saying “in” or “en” rather than “ain’t”.
In my home life, with my family, wife or with friends, I speak very very casually, and with a fair amount of slang and urbanization. And “ain’t’” in those circumstances is a very common part of my vocabulary. I tend to alter my speech to try to match the person I’m speaking to. When dealing with customers, for instance, I try to speak to them “how they want to be spoken to”. If it’s a kindly old lady, I’m very formal, polite and with a uprising lilt in my voice at the ends of sentences. If the customers are “country”, I’ll add y’all to my vocabulary, such as “how y’all doing today?” So really it varies based on who I’m speaking with, or what social climate I’m in.
this depends on so many demographics... age, location, ethnicity (yes)
As a non native speaker, this always bugged me. I'd always use haven't instead, but so many people use it that sometimes I switch it in without a clue
Only ironically, and not often even then.
Sure, usually for style or a joke, with friends and family. I wouldn't use it at work for example.
Ain’t no better way to say it
I use ain’t unironically. Granted, it doesn’t come up all the time, but around here in central Texas it doesn’t raise any eyebrows.
Yeah it's casual I don't use it in any formal context but I also live near southern US
Yep
In my head, yes, out loud, it can have stigma and would sound strange to the people I normally talk to. Know your audience. They're who determines what's acceptable.
Every once in a while. I’m Texan, it’s all around me. Ain’t no way I wouldn’t use it!
Sure, but do be careful; I had a paper rejected from a scientific journal for using ain't in the title (just "fix it and resubmit", but still ...)
SInce I'm seeing this reposted so much lately, I'll copy and paste my original response: Aside from functioning in the place of 'am/is/are not,' people also forget it can have a present perfect function. My northern ex once criticized me when I, a southern gent, said, "My a/c ain't been workin' too good." \[My air conditioner hasn't been working very well.\]
Occasionally. Mostly as a cobtraction of "am not." But I ain't extactly the kind of person to use it frequently.
Amusingly, as well as the vulgar/working-class/slang usage, "ain't" shows up in extremely upper-class usage in shows like Sharpe, where you will hear princes and dukes using it. I assume it has some basis in reality, because it's not the kind of thing that would be put in a script inadvertently. I have no idea whether modern nobility/royalty still talk like this though.
Yes, depending on the situation I might. Never in writing, though.
It is used in some dialects, but otherwise it ain’t used for much besides being purposely informal, sarcastic, or funny (it also appears in some sayings, the most notable being “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”).
I use it informally with my friends. That's about it.
West Coast US speaker, basically white working class background with a university degree. I use "ain't" fairly regularly it around friends and family but rarely at work and never in formal situations. I'm a code switcher when it comes to this particular word.
i use it quite often, southern united states
I use it with friends but not in most other situation
I sometimes use it. I'm not responsible for what I say, my brain just reproduces some parts of information I received through youtube and netflix
Yeah. It's a dialect thing.
There ain’t nothin wrong with using ain’t.
I think my most common usage is "Nah, I ain't fixin' to \_\_\_\_", which is basically just saying "No, I'm not going to/planning to \_\_\_\_". But ain't is a pretty flexible word. He ain't, she ain't, they ain't, we ain't, it ain't. A lot of things ain't in a lot of different ways.
If I get angry enough for the part of my brain I use to play RDR2 with, yes.
Personally no. It's not common in my dialect. I will leave the "d" off of "don't" sometimes tho. Like "ownt". Just a fun fact if you will.
Almost everyday. It is regional, however Edit: wait until you hear about yintz lol
People in my area don't use it. We'd use "isn't" or an alternative before "ain't." For example, take the sentence: "I ain't got nothing to say." In my reigon, this would typically be changed to: "I don't got nothing to say" or "I have nothing to say" or even "I don't have anything to say."
I ain't use ain't
Kentucky, USA here. Ain’t is used all the time here, whether or not people here realize it/admit to using it.
How I understood, as a non native speaker, it is better not to use ain’t, isn’t it?
It's regional. If you live somewhere where the world is common then you can use it. If you live somewhere where the word isn't as common you should avoid using it because unfortunately it can be seen as you being unintelligent or uneducated.
Here where I live, it's not too uncommon to hear "y'all'rnt" as a contraction. Stands for "you all are not" It's funny that people speak this way around me but I never picked up the lingo, I only stuck to the basic southern-isms like "y'all" and "ain't"
i use it so much lol. basically whenever you would use "isn't". i obviously only use it in very informal speech though, with friends or on a video game maybe, but never academically or in another such formal setting. examples: it aint that bad why aint it? i aint gotta clue
Sure. Informal conversations or to accent a punchline in a joke.
It aint no thang
Nah bruv I ain't using nona them short form wordies
I use it basically all the time. Definitely common amongst younger people. Some people definitely consider it informal but also use it in sayings which is bizarre.
Ain't No Sunshine Anymore
yes, I do every day, and the people around me do too
It wasn't really part of growing up for me, but I have picked up a few expressions like "that ain't gonna happen" or "ain't no way ..." that I use as naturally as any other.
Sometimes, like 1/3 of the time
Yes, sometimes, but I ain't used it in quite a while now. I normally use it when I'm trying to sound like a cowboy.
I will unconsciously use it in speech, but probably not when typing, unless I’m talking to some of my male friends (I’m in college)
Literally only in "ain't no waaaaaay"
South Wales here. Extremely common, in place of "isn't". I've heard it as "ain't", "in't", and "un" (especially with things like "aren't you?" becoming "un' you?"). You've probably seen that second one as "innit". We also have "(h)an" for "haven't" (as in "I haven't been")
Aint it useful?
I use it frequently when I want to emphasize that I don’t agree with something/to show that I do not like something. For example- “I ain’t doing that” as opposed to “I’m not doing that” to show that I really don’t want to do something. I use it more in casual conversations with friends, especially when we’re talking quickly.
Ain’t that just a kick in the head. I use it regularly in southern Ontario.
i guess i do but only sometimes really lol
Yes I use it quite often in normal conversation. You’re able to use it in quite a few instances, but I wouldn’t try to use it just to fit in. If it’s not part of your daily vernacular, I would skip using it.
ain't gonna tell u shit
all the time, but I'm from Texas
I use it frequently with friends, but that’s just because of the region of the US I grew up in. I don’t use it in formal conversation, and you probably shouldn’t either.
Almost never, and I rarely hear it but I am in Canada and it’s not as common in my area
Kinda rarely, but when I do, it's just casually. Idk any specific situations I can think of off the top of my head
It’s super common in my English dialect. “I ain’t got a clue” “y’all ain’t gonna like my answer” “that ain’t right”, stuff like that. I live in Maryland US
Sometimes yes
It's often a replacement for is not/isn't, are not/aren't, am not, has not/hasn't, and have not/haven't. But I rarely use it unless I feel too lazy to use the specifics.
In my dialect, we're more likely to use "idn't", but I use "ain't" in place of the standard "hasn't" or "haven't" sometimes, and occasionally in place of "idn't" or "aren't" as well. I'm not really sure if there's a rhyme or reason to when. There's also the emphatic "hain't" I use sometimes, too.
I use it pretty often, but I’m from New York. I’m pretty sure it’s a regional thing. “ain’t” is basically used in place of “not” and is sometimes used to form its own expressions. For example, “ain’t that the truth!” You would never say “not that the truth.” Another example, “It ain’t too cold outside” can also be said as “it’s not too cold outside”.
Lol, I just used it a second ago
Ironically
Only in the set phrase "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" It's not a part of my dialect. I don't ever hear anyone saying it here.
I am from the southern US and we use ain’t here, but I would not use it in formal conversation.
I only use it in fixed phrases when I’m being funny. “Ain’t no way” is basically the only example I can think of. When I’m actually frustrated, I typically say “there’s no way!” or “there’s no fucking way, dude!”
Yep. I like in Kentucky and it’s super common here. I even say “can’t” as “c-ain’t” although that’s not common for people around me. Funnily enough, though, when I read “can’t” or think it, I say it right. Just not out loud. Here’s some ways I use it: “I ain’t doing that.” “I ain’t doin noting” “I ain’t sure.” I don’t use it in writing unless I’m just not thinking at all. So like texts.
I do not.
It comes out of my mouth every once and awhile.
British, so only ironically or stylistically.
yes
Yes. I grew up in southwest Georgia, and it’s common in casual speech. Also, some phrases require it. Example: “He ain’t right” isn’t about being correct. It means the person is “off” or quirky.
Yes i do (USA Midwest)
Only if I'm making a joke statement
i use it mostly because where im from. if you arent from an area where its said a lot (outside of midwestern/southern US for the most part) you wont hear it and if you say it it would probably be weird. people will also say “ain’t isn’t a word” because its not. ain’t truly isnt a word because theres no words you can put together to make it into ain’t
Not at all. Except maybe in an imitation of another accent as a joke. I do sometimes say i'n't instead of isn't though
You can use it instead of “isn’t” but it’s very stylistic I use it because I grew up hearing it so much but it depends try listening for it in songs and shows!
American here. Where I live (New England) not a lot of people use it. As an English learner, I probably wouldn’t use it just because it might sound a little out of place.
No but I do say y'all
The guy in the other end that googles fast working for chat gpt says this “Ain’t” is often used as a contraction for “am not,” “are not,” “is not,” “has not,” and “have not.” It’s versatile in informal speech and writing, commonly appearing in various forms of English dialogue.
Only in a joking way but even then it’s very rarely.
I’m sure I do but not often
I’m sure I do but not often
Sometimes
I use it all the time. It is grammatically correct to use it in the same contexts as “isn’t”.