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English for Tourism & Hospitality (102) by Prof. Adel AlSheikh

Everyday English expressions you (probably)
never learned in school

AIN’T

Ah, ain‟t! Laetitia was right, you‟ll hear “ain‟t” a lot, even if it‟s
not correct English. What does it mean? Am not, or Is not, or
are not, or have not. Depends on the context.
For example, you might hear “I ain’t feeling too well” to
mean I‟m not feeling too well. Or “He ain’t coming with
us” to mean “He‟s not coming with us.” Or “They ain’t in
stock” for “They‟re not in stock”, or “I ain’t never been to
Las Vegas” to mean “I have never been to Las Vegas.”
Or, as my teachers used to say “Ain‟t ain‟t in the dictionary.”
which means the word “ain‟t” isn‟t in the dictionary.
Technically speaking, it‟s not correct English to say “ain‟t.” But
guess what, a lot of Americans use it anyway. It‟s not bad, or
insulting. It‟s just not really correct. But spoken English isn‟t

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