Isn't or aren't?
The split is the same as is and are. The odd one out is I, which has no short negative of its own.
The short answer
Isn’t is is not: use it with he, she, it and single things. Aren’t is are not: use it with you, we, they and plurals. With I the short form is I’m not — amn’t does not exist in standard English.
Which one do you need?
| Subject | Full form | Short form |
|---|---|---|
| I | I am not | I'm not |
| he, she, it, one thing | he is not | he isn't |
| you, we, they, several things | they are not | they aren't |
Practice the choice
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Getting your first question ready.
Side by side
Three sentences for each form, taken from the 497 sentences this drill uses. The answer is highlighted.
am not
- I am not full after the delicious meal.
isn't
- The house isn't spacious and luxurious.
- The music isn't loud enough to dance to.
- He isn't the tallest person in the room.
aren't
- They aren't very good friends anymore.
- They aren't tired after the long journey.
- The instructions aren't clear on the box.
Two short forms, three subjects
Is not contracts to isn’t, are not to aren’t. That covers everything except I.
For I, the contraction happens on the pronoun instead: I am not → I’m not. There is no amn’t, and writing it marks the sentence as wrong at once.
Where it gets strange: aren’t I
Statements have I’m not. Questions have no such option, because the pronoun and the verb swap places and there is nothing left to contract onto. English fills the hole with aren’t I:
- I’m late, aren’t I?
- Aren’t I on the list?
Grammatically it should be amn’t I, and in parts of Ireland and Scotland that is what people say. Everywhere else aren’t I is the standard form. Treat it as a fixed phrase and do not try to make it agree.
There isn’t, there aren’t
The verb looks back at nothing and forward at the noun:
- There isn’t a problem.
- There aren’t any problems.
In speech there’s not and there isn’t are interchangeable. There aren’t has no such alternative in the plural — there’re not exists but is rarely written.
Isn’t versus doesn’t
A frequent mix-up, and worth naming here. Isn’t negates be. Doesn’t negates every other verb:
- She isn’t tired. — be
- She doesn’t sleep. — any other verb
If you can say is in the positive sentence, the negative takes isn’t. If the positive needs no is, it takes doesn’t.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: I amn't ready. correct: I'm not ready.
English has no contraction for am not. The negative is contracted on the other side: I'm not.
Wrong: There isn't any chairs. correct: There aren't any chairs.
After there, the verb agrees with what follows. Chairs is plural, so aren't.
Wrong: Amn't I right? correct: Aren't I right?
In questions the gap is filled by aren't I, which is standard despite looking like a mismatch.