Word
aren't
Phoneticsar·ent
/ˈɑɹənt/
Definitions
01are not
v. the short form of 'are not'.
v. the contraction of the plural or second-person singular present indicative of 'be' with the negative particle 'not'.
“They aren't coming to the party because they have to work late.”
“The results aren't consistent with the initial hypothesis, which suggests that the experimental parameters may need to be adjusted for the next trial.”
Pitfall
They aren't like to come.
They aren't likely to come.
When using 'aren't' to describe a probability, you must use the adjective 'likely', not the verb 'like'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02am not (in questions)
v. a special form used when you ask a question about yourself using 'I'.
v. a standard contraction for 'am not' used exclusively in interrogative constructions or tag questions with a first-person singular subject.
“I'm next in line, aren't I?”
“I am still considered a candidate for the promotion, aren't I?”
Informal
Usage
This form is grammatically required in tag questions for 'I am', as 'amn't' is not used in standard modern English.
Pitfall
I aren't going.
I'm not going.
Only use 'aren't I' in questions; in statements, use 'I am not' or 'I'm not'.
Teaching tip
Learners often find this confusing because 'are' usually goes with 'you' or 'they', but 'aren't I' is the correct and natural way to ask a tag question in English.
Synonyms
Etymology
are + -n’t
Spelling replacement of the homonym an’t.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/arent