If it ain't broke ...

[CW Tan]

Hi teachers,

I often hear people say this : "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

My question : Does that sound natural? Is the following the correct way to say it?

"If it is not broken, don't fix it."

Thank you very much in advance.

[myfuture]

"If it is not broken, don't fix it" : means : if the chair is not broken,so dont fix it
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" i think it is a expression ( am i right ? ) it means : you dont have to solve sth which does not make trouble.
...
sorry for my poor english,correct me if i have mistakes

[Rusty]

"If it is not broken, don't fix it" : means : if the chair is not broken,so dont fix it
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" i think it is a expression ( am i right ? ) it means : you dont have to solve sth which does not make trouble.
...
sorry for my poor english,correct me if i have mistakes
Myfuture is right. "Ain't" is non-standard English, but it is part of this informal expression.

[CW Tan]

Thanks Myfuture and Rusty for your kind replies.

Since "if it ain't broke" is non-standard English, how can I rewrite it to make it standard and formal English? Can I rewrite it as follows?

"If it doesn't break, don't fix it."

or "If it didn't break, don't fix it."

Do the above sentences carry the same meaning as "If it ain't broke, dont fix it."?

[Rusty]

Thanks Myfuture and Rusty for your kind replies.

Since "if it ain't broke" is non-standard English, how can I rewrite it to make it standard and formal English? Can I rewrite it as follows?

"If it doesn't break, don't fix it."

or "If it didn't break, don't fix it."

Do the above sentences carry the same meaning as "If it ain't broke, dont fix it."?
To make it standard, formal English, say, "If it isn't broken, don't (attempt to)fix it."

[Pete]

This discussion started me thinking about this common informal expression. There's a fair bit of humor in it. Part comes from the fact that it ought to be self evident; fixing is by definition something you do to broken things. It makes no sense to speak of fixing something that is not broken. The deliberate use of nonstandard grammar, especially when this is said by someone who ordinarily uses standard English, emphasizes this fact. It indirectly expresses the idea that even people with little or no formal education know and understand this concept.

The kind of situation where someone says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is one where even though no problem is currently evident, someone wants to change the rules or procedures in order to avoid some perceived potential problem they think could occur in the future. If here you want to express the idea of the saying without using nonstandard English, you wouldn't give the literal (but relatively meaningless) equivalent. You would more likely say something like:
- Hey! Things are going fine as they are. There's no need to change anything, since there's no problem that need fixing.

[CW Tan]

The original phrase that I have come across is as follows :

People say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I say, "if it ain't broke, better maintain it, lubricate it, inspect it, upgrade it, try something better and make it work better than before."

I think the above expression is beautiful and it tells us that we can never be satisfied with the status-quo even if we are still OK, even if our policies are still working.

And I think since it is beautiful, perhaps my daughter who is a student can memorize it and use it in essay-writing in school if the chance arises. But the only thing I am not sure is if the non-standard and informal form of English in this case can be accepted in school essay-writing? That is why I wanted to seek help from you here for the formal and standard expression of "if it ain't broke" in this case.

Last but not least, my sincere thanks to all of you for your kind help. Thank you very much indeed.