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114 comments

telusey•
It usually functions as a replacement for "is not". Example: This apple is not good -> this apple ain't good
Grapegoop•
“Ain’t” ain’t a word so I ain’t gonna say it. - a stupid phrase from childhood.
Blahkbustuh•
It's easy! Never use it. I never say "ain't" and my parents and family didn't, and most of the kids I went to school with didn't either, and nowadays my coworkers in the office rarely if ever say it. Basically if you go to college, then you're not in the level of society that uses the word "ain't". "Ain't" doesn't sound good coming out of normal people. It'd sound bizarre coming out of someone with a foreign accent.
bam281233•
It ain’t that complicated. If you ain’t trying to sound Southern, then just never say ain’t. I ain’t hardly ever say ain’t because while I guess it’s correct, it ain’t never sound grammatically correct to me.
JaguarRelevant5020•
In standard American English, outside of certain cultural groups, it's mostly used in an attempt to sound casual and folksy. It often appears in stock expressions with other nonstandard word forms. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," rather than "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." "You ain't seen nothing yet," rather than "You haven't seen anything yet." When it doubt, don't.
bullettrain•
The most basic answer is almost never. Using "Ain't" is only for the deeply entrenched southern US accent holders.  Trying to incorporate into your speech will almost certainly out you as an outsider 
Inherently_Rainbow•
I still am afraid to use normal contractions, like "don't" and "I'm" in case I used them wrong. I think "ain't" is too far 🤣
Fit-Rip-4550•
Ain't is spoken only—do not use in writing. The main issue is it is a combined contraction of both are not and am not, yet also means is not.
theplasticbass•
ain’t = isn’t
Xava67•
That ain't the thing you learn at school
jakea522•
the correct answer is never
elevencharles•
Ain’t used to be considered a grammatically correct contraction of “am not”. So “I ain’t” is correct, “he ain’t” or “they ain’t” is not.
brokebackzac•
While just barely, I live in the "North" in the US. It is rarely heard here aside from memed phrases like "ain't nobody got time for that." It's very improper and should never be used formally, but it has its purposes.
oysterot•
grammatically, “ain’t” is a contraction of “am” and “not” thats it. its also commonly used AAVE (as well as common in the southern US) so its pretty normal to use it in everyday speech in quote “non grammatically correct” ways.
smellymarmut•
It's simple. Are you a hound dog? If you are not a hound dog, then you are not a hound dog. But if you are a hound dog, then you ain't nothing but a hound dog, just crying all the time. You ain't nothing but a hound dog, you ain't never caught no rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine.
IM_OZLY_HUMVN•
it's pretty much the same as "isn't" or "is not", but you shouldn't use "ain't" when you need to be formal
RadioRoosterTony•
I don't think it's wrong to use that word in the right situation, but you won't go wrong not using it.
Acethetic_AF•
Ain’t can be used whenever you were going to say “isn’t”. The amount it’s used varied a lot by dialect/accent.
MoYoO•
![gif](giphy|bWM2eWYfN3r20)
HellFiresChild•
Six am and already the boy ain't right.
SnooChickens3932•
Don’t use ain’t cause ain’t in the dictionary 🤣
Alpacaman25•
ain’t that the drizzlin’ shits
Source_Trustme2016•
As an Australian.... This is one of my most hated Americanisms
daevlol•
I pray they ain't my real friends if not I'm ynw melly
snickelbetches•
You c'ain't
semisubterranean•
I would never use "ain't" except in some very specific colloquial phrases for humorous effect. It effectively does not exist in my dialect. If you end up living somewhere it is commonly used, then figure it out. But even in those places, no one will expect an outsider to use it. Outside of certain regions, most people will wonder why you are using "ain't." In much of the English-speaking world, it's associated with a lack of education. That's unfair to the dialects that use it, but it's unlikely you or I will be the ones to change such perceptions.
bluemonday92•
It's just like the fella said, tell me quick, oh, ain't that a kick in the head?
thecoder08•
When in doubt, don't use it
Rundallo•
Ain't that a kick in the head
waynehastings•
Just don't. It is colloquial, but if you get used to using it casually it'll creep into professional communication, too. Ain't nobody got time for that.
Fragrant_Tadpole_265•
ain't is am / are / is not. It's most used when you are speaking
WhiskyStandard•
“Ain’t” might be hard, but y’all oughta be using “y’all” whenever possible if you’re in “ain’t” territory.
PsyJak•
Present 1st: I ain't 2nd: You ain't 3rd: He/She/they/it ain't 1sts: We ain't 2nds: You/Y'all ain't 3rds: they ain't. Past 1st: I ain't done 2nd: You ain't done 3rd: He/She/they/it ain't done 1sts: We ain't done 2nds: You/Y'all ain't done 3rds: they ain't done. Future 1st: I ain't gonna 2nd: You ain't gonna 3rd: He/She/they/it ain't gonna 1sts: We ain't gonna 2nds: You/Y'all ain't gonna 3rds: they ain't gonna.
Disastrous_Leader_89•
Ain’t that the truth!
MEGrammar•
"*ain't no sunshine when she's gone..*" :) ![gif](giphy|F1GPAMt15vBZK)
SirMunches•
Am not and will not are generally the easiest things to replace it.
Cichato_YT•
I'm pretty sure you can replace "to be + not." However, it can have other uses that i ain't sure about. Like in "ain't nobody got time for that.", what is it even replacing????
iamnotajeww•
Don't say ain't cause ain't ain't a word
feartheswans•
Just treat it as an extremely informal “am not”
Yapizzawachuwant•
Ain't is basically "isn't" "aren't" "am not" in everyday English The stubborn dog ain't (is not) moving I ain't (am not) moving to that neighborhood They ain't (are not) coming to a compromise any time soon.
Cosmic_Haze_3569•
You ain’t gotta think about it that much. Any time there is “— not” and you replace that with phrase with ain’t, you ain’t gonna be wrong
Orangello22•
I had a teacher who could not say “can’t.” He would say Cain’t. When we’d try to correct him he’d be like I just cain’t do it 😂
Helvetenwulf•
What's the difference of ain't and isn't?
neddy_seagoon•
Ain't is specific to certain dialects of English and sounds strange/oldfashioned to many people, and often "uneducated". It's considered incorrect in the "standard"/academic dialects I know of. People commonly use it to replace isn't/aren't, though IIRC it's our long-lost contraction of "Am not".
theslimeboy•
Generally speaking, unless you’ve been surrounded by people who use “ain’t” for so long that you’ve started to pick up their dialect, you should probably avoid it. Otherwise, you will probably sound awkward and like you’re trying too hard. This goes for most dialectal speech.
Successful-Lynx6226•
American perspective: You should not use "ain't" unless you're trying to do a specific dialect (AAE and some southern or rural dialects would use this, for example). It is associated with lower class and uneducated folk (whether that's fair or not). If you are around people who use it, then by all means use it. However, I wouldn't use it in writing, even informal writing, unless you were certain your audience would expect it. I also wouldn't use it when first meeting a new person (unless again you're trying to emulate or fit in with a specific dialect).
lalalaundry•
You cain’t
tenorclef91•
“Ain’t” is dialectal. As an L2 learner, don’t worry about it. It will always sound out of place. The same goes for “y’all.” Even when I hear anglophones that aren’t from the southern US using it, it’s cringy.
HighArctic•
it goes good with "y'all"
Shinyhero30•
Ain’t can replace a negative to be contraction when in informal and coloquial situations. I would literally never use it in a context where I was trying to be formal. Academic papers don’t really use contractions and when they do it’s to specify how a word is meant to be interpreted. Otherwise it’s avoided.
Goodyeargoober•
You don't have to use it.
hasMRK•
ain't is kinda used instead of everything. "I ain't doing all that"(replacing am not) "you ain't gonna do it" (replacing are not) "he ain't bothered" (replacing is not) it's that word(not really) that you use when you're too lazy to think about the correct verb form.
xurxo13•
Never
Phokyou2•
Don’t use ain’t at all. It sounds stupid and makes you sound stupid.
Umbra_175•
Don’t ever use it. You’ll sound stupid.
Mindless-Stage8923•
Whenever you can use isn't.
alldogsareperfect•
If you aren’t black, not very often
zozigoll•
I’d avoid it until you’ve firmed up your understanding of the language and have room in your brain for nuances. It’s fine in some contexts but grossly inappropriate in others, and the lines are not always clearly drawn.
Quwapa_Quwapus•
it aint easy being green
IdkAnymore18411•
ain't is basically just cowboy speech
ShardCollector•
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!
Cream-Buddha•
Yain't got to think about it too hard, lest you fixin' to sound like a cricket in a hubcap...
wrecklessdyslexic•
Ya cain’t
East_Chest3668•
It can mean is not or is depending on the context( that ain’t him meaning that isn’t him. You could also say “ain’t that him?” Meaning “is that him?” very confusing phrase and also only used in informal settings, you can probably do without it.
EnvironmentalMud6800•
Ain’t is a combination of is not, am not, and are not I ain’t doing that She ain’t doing that We ain’t doing that You ain’t doing that
Loud_Salt6053•
It ain’t that simple, it ain’t that easy, and it ain’t too hard.
Loud_Salt6053•
It just means aren’t*
MediaRealistic6699•
Ain't that the truth...
Relevant_Ad_8732•
y’allain’t gonna tell me how to speak 🌝
achaedia•
Don’t use it. I’m a native speaker and I rarely use it.
suhkuhtuh•
"Ain't ain't a word." That's the advice I grew up with. I get that it is, and always has been, but the lesson's stuck with me sufficiently that I ain't usin' it.
ReyFromTheInternet•
"Ain't no sunshine when she goes.." like the song goes.. :) Think its the best way to remember
Jah420Rastafari•
Aint = Am not, Is not, Are not
nixnilnull•
I ain’t (am not).. That ain’t (is not).. They ain’t (are not).. It ain’t (has not).. You ain’t (have not).. A well rounded combination, ain’t it (is it not)?
trustyaxe•
If you must, and I'm from the South...anywhere that "is not", "am not", "are not", "will not", for example, are used, you can substitute "ain't". There are probably other use cases, but I ain't got time to think about 'em right now. Ha! There's one....
EarlyMidnight3397•
ain’t gonna lie.
BudgetGoldCowboy•
ain’t means a lot of things not just isn’t
Llumeah•
ain't is used in a lot of cases, so I could see it being confusing. if you want to go for full effect, in my area ain't is often used with double negatives for emphasis "I ain't no child" <=> I'm not a child
Pale_Cress757•
I thought that was hood slang, since I mostly see black people using it.
VoidZapper•
I ain’t lost. I know what’s up.
Tobias-Tawanda•
The gag is that you should just know what words ain't replaces. That's it.
PinZestyclose627•
![gif](giphy|EhIrNwoxFXt84)
Tommy84•
Just don’t use it. You’ll sound more intelligent that way.
Chestnut412•
“Ain’t” BASICALLY stands for “not”. Example: That’s not right —> That ain’t right I have not seen him —> I ain’t seen him You’re not her —> You ain’t her.
Dangerwrap•
I dislike this word, It's lazy and careless.
BubbhaJebus•
My advice: Don't use it, except in set phrases that contain it.
noturningback86•
I ain’t ever ad nothin I ain’t ever be nothin
Johan__2004•
As someone from the UK, I wouldn’t use it, it’s very informal and if you can avoid it I would.
Comfortable-Study-69•
It ain’t that hard. You can use it in any (very) informal context where “isn’t”, “aren’t”, “-‘re not”, “-‘m not”, and “-‘s not” can also be used. It’s basically a universal negative copula. And it can be used in place of “haven’t” and “hasn’t”.
Jinsmith•
.
I-hate-taxes•
“This ain’t it, chief” is one of my favourite phrases so I just can’t help it. Protip if you’re worried about being disrespectful is to exaggerate a regional American accent (mostly Southern) so that you can use it ironically.
SpecialistBetter1367•
As a native speaker I'm still not entirely sure, but pretty much just anything with "n't" at the end of it can be replaced with ain't
NortonBurns•
Solution: Speak British English. Then the answer is 'never'.
innocentbabybear•
Am not, is not, are not
happyturd10750•
People struggle with this ?
PullingLegs•
Never
FatSpidy•
Ain't can be used any time you can use "isn't" or "am not" as it started as slang, but is now a real recognized word.
vingtsun_guy•
Verb to be in the negative. am not is not are not All of these can be ain't.
scornfulego•
That's the neat part, you cain't
vacuous-moron66543•
I use ain't all the time. Y'all is also fun.
BilingualBackpacker•
It ain't easy :)
AMIRA99999999•
It usually replaces "not" for present and future. For example: I'm not doing it. I ain't doing it It's not me. It ain't me I'm not gonna do it. I ain't gonna do it
OhItsJustJosh•
I believe it replaces "is not", "am not", "are not", etc. depending on context
olkroid•
ain't = is not, are not, was not, were not
NotDefinedFunction•
I can understand 'Ain't' when listening to it but not understand when using 'Ain't' myself......
Ill-Entertainment381•
You ain't gonna use it much.
Sea_Neighborhood_627•
You never need to use it. It’s super rare for me to hear it where I live in America. Some people also really look down on it. Growing up, I was taught that it’s “improper English” and makes a person sound dumb. I know better now, but plenty of people don’t.
wuwu2001•
There ain't no rules
Specialist-Loss-8513•
Pronouncing it is even hard what a bullshit word
Complex_Fee5445•
Ain't no thing but a chicken wing!
RotisserieChicken007•
Never use it and you'll be totally fine.
Victor_Ingenito•
“Ain’t” came from African slaves who couldn’t pronounce correctly many words in English.
Dariadeer•
There ain’t nobody not doing nothing.
Kitakitakita•
the only time you should use "ain't" is if you're mimicking a radical orange cheetah's catchphrase