Will I sound weird if I do not use any contraction when I talk ?

Yes, you will sound weird. Not using contractions sounds overly formal and typically ends up putting emphasis on the words that usually cut short in the contraction. "You'll get hurt if you do that" sounds like a gentle warning that something could be dangerous. "You will get hurt if you do that" sounds threatening. It comes off as less of a concerned warning and more as if the speaker is going to make sure that you will end up hurt.

It sounds very stiff. Not in a formal way, but in a robotic way.

It sounds a little bit formal, and "unnatural" - it's not usually a problem... it just makes it more obvious that you're not a native speaker. Usually, people don't care. Everyone speaks differently - Scottish people, Londoners, Scousers, Irish, Americans, Australians... 99% of the time, as long as you can be understood, it doesn't matter. *Some* people will judge you based on your accent. Those people aren't worth bothering about.

It’s very common in movies and tv shows to depict robots and aliens as never using contractions. Not using *any* will make you sound like a robot or an alien.

Oh, man, yes. In fiction, that is one way that people use to show that someone isn't fully human. Or at least, isn't neurotypical. In fiction, if someone doesn't use contractions, it means that they are a robot, or an alien, or some form of autistic, or there is something just *wrong* about them. It's one of the strangest things you can do while still being grammatical and easy to understand. I would say the next step above "not using contractions" would be "Yoda speak", like Yoda in *Star Wars,* where you invert the subject, verb, and object. Now, if there are only a few contractions that you don't use - you mention having trouble with I'll - it probably won't be noticed. If you don't use any, people might not notice, but they will have an uncanny feeling that something is just ... odd. If it is paired with a noticeable accent, people will just figure, correctly, that the odd thing is that you are speaking English as a second language, and won't care. But if you accent is *so* good that it passes for native ... it will be very strange.

I'm a novelist, and that's one trick we use in dialogue to show someone isn't a native speaker.

Probably. Contractions are there to make the flow of speech smoother, so when you choose not to use them it should be for some purpose beyond not wanting to learn contractions.

Yes - contractions are part of spoken English, and you will definitely sound stiff and formal without them. I can't say that people will judge you differently based on this, but you will sound different. Contractions give your mouth more economy of motion and allow sounds to flow better. Obviously this isn't a concern in written English, but they're a more natural way of \_speaking\_ the language.

not using contractions makes it obvious someone isn’t a native speaker (at least in the u.s. and canada) even if there’s no other indicators! it’s not necessarily off-putting but it’s definitely atypical (i mean look! i used 4 in this comment without meaning to!)

yea

My oldest daughter does this. (Native speaker) We're not sure why. But while it does sound a little weird sometimes, you'll be ok.

When you speak fast enough, those sounds will automatically "contract" and people will only hear contractions. I don't consciously use contractions. They just come out that way when I speak normally.

You will sound robotic but also, trust me, you WILL be using them in no time. It's tiresome to spell all of that out unless you want to cosplay some posh movie character.

Yes - you will sound a little weird.

It will sound a little bit unnatural. Not necessarily more formal, because people use contractions on formal speech, but just a bit… off. Stiff might be the right word. You’ll be understood, of course, and that’s the most important thing. Worth noting that using “I will” instead of “I’ll” might not get noticed. The “n’t” contractions are more noticeable.

Just for context, I have trouble with the “I’ll” contraction and always use “I will” instead.

Without contractions, English sounds much more robotic (e.g. android (humanoid robot) character 'Data' from Star Trek doesn't use contractions, which adds to the 'roboticness' of his character, for lack of a better word)

You will sound like Data from Star Trek

If you want to sound like a robot or like AI, then go for it.

It's fine OP. You'll sound stiff, but you'll be understood. If your basic requirements for speech are understanding, then you're good. If you're trying to speak to people casually in everyday life though, I guarantee you'll eventually pick them up naturally. Over time, just from listening and talking, you'll talk faster and whole chunks of words will just disappear. I just now realize I wrote a lot of contractions in this post. I didn't really think about it. I just write how I talk, so maybe that will come to you as well, but it might take longer.

Yes, you will sound robotic. More on that in this [YT video](https://youtu.be/rNcS0S__WlQ?feature=shared) by renowned phonetician Dr Geoff Lindsey.

Why would you choose to avoid them?

Yes

No I don’t think you’ll sound weird. It is better to be clear with your statements if you have doubts about your ability in the language, or your accent, or the ability of the other person to comprehend you in any way.

Your speech will sound unnatural and stilted. Why do you want to avoid contractions?

When I hear someone talk without contractions it always reminds me of Demi Lovato's character in Princess Protection Program. She sounded like she was technically speaking perfectly, but in the most unnatural way.

When I hear someone talk without contractions it always reminds me of Demi Lovato's character in Princess Protection Program. She sounded like she was technically speaking perfectly, but in the most unnatural way.

Nice question!! The replies are very useful for me 😸

I think “sounding stiff/formal” is true but you’ll get a pass because people will understand you’re not a native speaker. For native speakers, it’s not really acceptable to not use contractions.


I used to work for an older man who never used contractions in writing or speech. He thought they made you look sloppy. He ran a summer internship and would reject any paper which had them.

You will sound like Kratos

It would sound quite odd and formal. It’s not a natural way of speaking. Of course there are times when you wouldn’t use a contraction to be emphatic

It depends on the context. Contractions are generally more casual, whereas not using it can either come across as formal, or as putting added emphasis on the verb. Like, if you're telling someone "Don't do this", that sounds more like you're asking them to not do it, whereas if you're telling them "Do not do this", I feel like it comes across as prohibiting them from doing it.

Yeah you'll sound a bit weird. For example, this type of speech is used in movies and books, characters who talk like that are either portrayed as robotic, socially inept, or dumb.

Yes, you will sound unnatural. If you can say "I will" you can say "I'll." If you speak a French-based creole you can already pronounce words that contain or end with "L"; you just need to practice.

If you avoid all contractions you will sound slightly odd. But just slightly. If you want an example listen to the little girl character in the True Grit remake who never uses contractions. However, some contractions are more common than others. For example in my first sentence I could have written "you'll" but I could go through my entire life never saying "you'll" or "I'll" and nobody would notice. People would notice if I never said "can't" or "won't"

Honestly, when I hear someone speaking that way, even though I have no o5het ebidence, it immediately makes me wonder if English is their first language.

You will sound like Data from Star Trek. He’s an android.

No, you will not sound any weirder than I.

At some point you’ll find yourself shortening the words for times’ sake.

Can you say "Kill Bill" and "microwave" ? If so, then just practice saying I'll kill bill if you'll kill bill and the microwave you've bought is different to the microwave I've bought 🙂

Yes.  It’s not an uncommon sitcom trope to have characters who are extremely formal/uptight and explicitly insist on never using contractions, because it makes their dialogue sound funny. The only example that comes to mind for me right now is Captain Holt from Brooklyn 99, but I’m certain there are others. (InB4 If you watch even a single episode, you’ll notice Captain Holt uses contractions all the time, because it would be hard to write believable dialogue without them. But he invokes the trope sometimes, and characters will be like, “oh no, he used a contraction, he must be really upset.”) You might be able to find examples here from shows/movies you’re already familiar with. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpockSpeak

It sounds weird. Sometimes I do it on purpose as a joke. Like, if one of my friends suggests doing something really stupid, I'll take on a mocking tone and say "DO NOT DO THAT" instead of "Don't do that" like I normally would. It sounds unnecessarily rigid.

I personally tend to do that when speaking in person. It makes me sound more formal, which I like.

Yes, it would sound very odd. Many contractions are expected even in formal settings. "I am" and "you are", for example, are only used for emphasis. Otherwise they're always "I'm" and "you're", regardless of the level of formality. Some contractions are considered more informal and are fine to avoid. "Y'all" is a good example.

I feel like people in this thread are really over exaggerating how important this is. You probably have something of an accent so people will know you aren’t a native speaker and honestly the average US English speaker will just be grateful you have some level of English fluency because most of us are not bilingual at a conversational level. You will be understood just fine, no one is going to judge you for speaking what is absolutely correct English. If anything they will be impressed with how well you can speak. While there is some truth that native speakers tend to use contractions as a default, it is not like we exclusively use them. In fact, I think most of us would use full-word phrases when talking to a non-native speaker just instinctively to be understood easier. (Along with talking slower, and for some reason, louder. lol) Not using contractions is sometimes a choice when trying to place emphasis on a phrase and sometimes that can be construed as a little more of an aggressive form of speech, but tone and demeanor also play a huge role with expressing intention. If contractions are your biggest concern with speaking English, congrats because you are definitely ahead of most Americans learning a foreign language. And there is a good chance you’ll eventually pick them up the more you interact with native speakers.

There are only two acceptable ways to not use a contraction. One is when you want to emphasize the auxiliary verb in clarification. Like *I **WILL** do that.* or *I **AM** a human.* But only use it in an argument. The other is when it's just the noun and the auxiliary verb in your sentence. Like *He is.* or *We will.* You shouldn't ever just say *He's.* or *We'll*.

This is how they made Data, the android in Star Trek The Next Generation sound "robotic".

Yes. It'd sound weird and be seen as an odd affection. People wouldn't hate you or anything but they might think you were a bit off, or immature and trying too hard to stand out.

I think it depends on the contraction. Saying “I do not know” sounds a little unnatural, but “I will think about it” or “I am tired” sounds pretty normal to me.

Yes, it will sound very strange to native speakers and will instantly flag you as a non-native speaker. It will not just sound weird, it will be so jarring it will be something they constantly notice while you're trying to communicate. They will notice it so much that it will be nearly impossible for them to ignore and may get in the way of the conversation. As a side note, less educated native speakers may also perceive this as speaking down to them or making fun of them, and may become agitated or hostile.

Yes

It will make you sound like you're not a native speaker, but you already do. This isn't really a bad thing. So many people speak English as a second language that it's normal to hear different accents. Do what makes you feel comfortable and focus on getting your point across.