don't + action

Saying No to an Action

Level 1

Don't can negate a lexical verb in casual Singlish: She don't eat beef. Doesn't and other shared English forms also occur; local agreement choices are not a command to remove every ending.

How It Works

Don't can come before an action verb in a local negative statement. She don't eat beef is a colloquial pattern; She doesn't eat beef is also available. Neither choice means that the speaker must change every verb in the same way.

The negative applies to the following action or preference. Add a time phrase if a particular occasion matters. For a past event that did not occur, Singlish also uses never in its event-negation sense. Do not treat not before a describing phrase as interchangeable with every don't construction, or assume that every use of don't is a command.

Examples (4)

  1. I don't drink coffee.

    I do not drink coffee.

  2. She don't eat beef.

    She does not eat beef.

  3. We don't want another bag.

    We do not want another bag.

  4. They don't stay here.

    They do not live here.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

don't + actionLevel 1Saying No to an Action

Learn This First

Identify the lexical action that the negative statement denies.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.