Questions tagged [aint]

Questions about the usage, etymology, history, and meaning of the contraction "ain't."

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How does "ain't" work?

From what I know, "ain't" works as a negation in any tense or form. However, it doesn't take the form of the (first/second/third) person or the tense and so the verb following it does. What I mean is: ...
NPS's user avatar
  • 557
1 vote
4 answers
1k views

Is this phrase past tense or present tense? [duplicate]

The following phrase I ain't got no money Is it meant to be used for a past action (I didn't get no money) or is it used to mean (I don't get no money right now)? What confuses me is the usage ...
Mikey Spivak's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
653 views

Ain't - what does it mean? [duplicate]

First of all, thx for this site. It's great for me. I read it everyday, because I want to grow up my english skills. I'm from Poland btw. :) My question is this: What does it mean 'ain't'? I don't ...
Miki's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
8k views

"Ain't ... no more" is "am not ... [any more]"?

First of all, I ain't a native speaker. And one of the most confusing sentences to me is I ain't going to this place no more. Ain't in this sentence basically means am not, so it translates to ...
Smrita's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
3k views

Was “ain’t” at one time acceptable in “proper” English? [duplicate]

I contend the word ain’t is a useful contraction of am not. Ain’t I correct in thinking that in the early 1800s, Bostonians thought of ain’t as an acceptable word without stigmatization?
user39077's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
8k views

Is “ain’t” slang, or is it colloquial instead?

Does using the word ain’t in a song make it slang, whereas using it in a speech make it colloquial?
ReRe's user avatar
  • 43
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Distinguish contraction of "ain't"

I know the contraction of am not, is not, are not, has not, have not, do not, does not, and did not can be represented as ain't. How can I understand correctly which contraction the speaker meant?
Vijin Paulraj's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
33k views

What does "ain't" mean? [closed]

What does the contraction ain't mean? Is it appropriate to use it in formal settings?
Andro Selva's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
3k views

"You ain't able to be sure about anything."

Does this sentence make any sense to you as a native speaker? The one who said this actually meant to say, "People like you can never be sure about anything" (implying the opposite side is very ...
Daisy's user avatar
  • 761
11 votes
3 answers
79k views

Usage of "ain't"?

As far as I understand, "ain't" can mean either "isn't" (ain't no sunshine) or "hasn't" (you ain't seen nothing yet). Are there any rules when "ain't" is used? Does it have a different meaning than "...
M4N's user avatar
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5 votes
5 answers
37k views

Why is "ain't" not listed in dictionaries?

Google finds 52,000,000 matches for ain't but non-natives simply can't look up this word. Wiktionary isn't helpful. Is it some kind of 'wildcard' for "am/is/are not"?
stacker's user avatar
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10 votes
5 answers
2k views

Is it okay to say and write "ain't" yet?

Over 10 years ago saying "ain't" was discouraged but it was gaining momentum. What happened? Seems like it's still discouraged. Maybe in another 10 years?
tooshel's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why would you write "ain't"? Isn't it a contraction only used in spoken English?

I often hear in English conversation or movies the contraction "ain't" (for "isn't"), but I am more surprised to see it in writing (and I am not referring to a novel, where I can understand its usage: ...
VonC's user avatar
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