Can i say "i don't know nothing" rather than "I don't know anything" ?

[tomlui]

Can i say "i don't know nothing" rather than "I don't know anything" ?

[Philly]

Hi tomlui
.
"I don't know nothing" is a double negative and is grammatically incorrect. Therefore, you should never use it on an English test or in any formal context. You will sometimes hear people say "I don't know nothing" in very informal spoken English.
.

[curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by tomlui

Can i say "i don't know nothing" rather than "I don't know anything" ?

As Philly said it is a 'no-no' If you think about it, 'I don't know nothing' must mean that you know something, so you can't 'not know anything'

[tomlui]

Originally Posted by Philly

Hi tomlui
.
"I don't know nothing" is a double negative and is grammatically incorrect. Therefore, you should never use it on an English test or in any formal context. You will sometimes hear people say "I don't know nothing" in very informal spoken English.
.

informal??

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by tomlui

Can i say "i don't know nothing" rather than "I don't know anything" ?

Informal generally means the language of everday.

Double negatives do not state the opposite. They have the identical meaning to those that use the marker 'any'. They are often used to be more emphatic.

What these are are nonstandard for most English dialects but they are commonly used in casual everyday speech. Princess Diana was quoted as saying, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

You can even say,

I don't know nothin' from nothin' about [____].

[Tdol]

However, if you wrote it in an exam, it would be marked wrong; it is a colloquial usage and one that is disputed by many, though you will hear native speakers using it.