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Grammatically, for he/she/it we use "does" or "doesn't" like in,

He doesn't eat meat.

but these days I'm observing the usage of the above sentence(especially in American movies) like this,

He don't eat meat.

So, after a lot of observations, I'm assuming that both usages are correct.

My assumption - When to use "don't"?

In temporary situations like,

He don't have a pen.

when to use "doesn't"?

In more of a permanent situation like,

He doesn't speak French.

Please correct if my assumption is wrong.

Or tell me if both the below sentences are correct.

He doesn't speak French.

He don't speak French.

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chaitanya89
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2 Answers2

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This is a sticky subject in the US and lots of varied opinions exist on whether "he don't" is correct or incorrect. The traditional way to say this is most certainly:

He doesn't eat meat.

But "he don't" is becoming increasingly common in various dialects. African American Vernacular English (abbreviated as AAVE; once known as Ebonics) is the most commonly noted example but there are other various regional dialects that include this pattern.

Whether "he don't" is acceptable in a particular dialect is a dialect specific issue and should be addressed as a separate question. Whether "he don't" is acceptable in General American English, the answer is no, it is not.

MrHen
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    Worth noting: though the validity of he don’t in various dialects is debatable, I’ve yet to come across a dialect in which he doesn’t isn’t considered correct. In other words, as a non-native speaker it is always safest to err on the side of caution and use he doesn’t. Speakers of ‘don’t dialects’ might possibly find it a tad uppity or overly formal—but not incorrect. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Mar 12 '14 at 19:59
  • @JanusBahsJacquet: Yes, completely agree. There is never any doubt about "he doesn't" being correct. – MrHen Mar 12 '14 at 20:26
  • In the movie "Hacksaw Ridge" at 9:00. "Oh, he don't hate us. He hates himself sometimes." – wuxb Apr 26 '17 at 03:02
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Take the sample sentences:

He doesn't eat meat.
He don't eat meat.

And remove the contraction:

He does not eat meat.
He do not eat meat.

Now we can see very clearly that the latter is grammatically incorrect.

Whether you should use doesn't or don't depends on whether the subject is singular or plural:

He doesn't speak French.
They don't speak French.

Although used in movies and songs, "he don't" is still a grammatical mistake. It is often made in Ebonics, accents from the American states "in the South", and is very common in accents from languages where verbs are not pluralized.

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IQAndreas
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    I would say that this particular grammar mistake is made by people of all races and is seen in much wider regions than "the South". Bob Dylan ("She's an artist, she don't look back") was a Jewish kid from Minnesota. But I agree it's non-standard English. – Peter Shor Feb 27 '14 at 06:25
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    If you accept that English variants like Ebonics are valid dialects, then it's standard in those dialects. – Barmar Feb 27 '14 at 08:20
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    Not to mention 'Ol' Man River'... He don't plant taters, he don't plant cotton and dem dat plants 'em is soon forgotten'... – Leon Conrad Feb 27 '14 at 08:25
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    What's wrong with "ain't?" – Michael Owen Sartin Mar 08 '14 at 21:20
  • @MichaelOwenSartin Ain't ain't a word. – IQAndreas Mar 08 '14 at 21:21
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    For a word that's not a word, ain't sure gets used an awful lot. It's a word, it's just not a proper word. – David M Mar 12 '14 at 18:10
  • The funny thing is that, in avoiding ain't, people tend to say Aren't I? The historically correct phrase was, ironically, Ain't I? – Anonym Mar 12 '14 at 18:50