Page 4 - English (2)

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

I WAS LIKE…

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