Learn English – Don’t let’s wait / Let’s not wait / Let’s don’t wait

grammaticalityimperative-sentencesnegation

I was reading a book today and I got confused by the sentence 'Don't let's wait.'

Don't let's wait?

Is it correct to say this? I have seen sentences like:

Let's wait.

… and I found lots of results for:

Let's not wait.

… on Google. This question here asks about sentences like:

Let's don't wait.

Niklon's answer there says that this sentence is not grammatical because it has both let's and don't together. So does this means that that the main example here is ungrammatical?

Best Answer

Here is a summary of what I know about the expression "Don't let's"

  • it is a grammatically correct, informal contraction of "Do not let us".
  • it was widely used in the inter-war period (1920 to 1940) when even working class people still knew about grammar, but had escaped from the strait jacket of Victorian formality.
  • many people regard it as an inelegant construction, and in this post-grammar-savvy era such expressions tend to fall by the wayside.
  • In the UK, it remains a convenient and neutral way of expressing the idea that both parties are responsible for avoiding something unpleasant, for example "Don't let's start that again" and "Don't let's fight".
  • The American alt-rock band "They might be giants" released a single called "Don't let's start" in 1987, which inspired a film (date unknown). There was also a 2014 episode of "Grey's Anatomy" with the same name. This suggests that the expression is still understood in the US.

Moving on to "Let's don't":

  • it is a contraction of "Let us do not" which is grammatically incorrect because "Do" or "Do not" must appear at the start of a sentence when used as an imperative.
  • George 'Dubya' Bush, that paragon of correct speech, is credited with 30% of the (very very small number of) usages of this expression.
  • the remaining usages come from the southern states of the US.

And finally, "Let's not":

  • it is a grammatically correct informal contraction of "let us not".
  • it is used twice in the Bible and once by Shakespeare.
  • in the UK, it is regularly used in expressions which advise caution, like "Let's not get carried away with this", "Let's not be too hasty", "Let's not go overboard in this" and "let's not go to far".
    • the US singers Monica and Tyrese recorded a song entitled "Let's not go to bed" in 2003. Andrea Perry recorded a song called "Let's not go out tonight" in 2006. This suggests that the expression is still current in the US.
Related Topic