That's him. That's him I talked to.
The emboldened part is not natural, right? What would be natural instead?
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It's movie script dialogue. It would fit certain characters.– Ronald SoleJun 8, 2021 at 15:45
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It depends on the context. If this is a dialogue in a movie where a character is pointing out someone, it’s completely natural.– FeliniusRex - goneJul 20, 2021 at 12:24
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Sounds dialectal, but natural in, say, Yorkshire. I don't know how you'd find evidence for it, though. The grammar is the same as “That's him who I talked to.”, but with “who” elided.– mudriJul 17, 2022 at 8:21
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2 Answers
No it is not natrual.
That's him. That's him I talked to.
Try this
That's him. That's who I talked to.
or this
That's him. That's the one I talked to.
or this
That's him. I talked to him!
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1Do you mean not natural for a native speaker, or not correct standard English? It seems quite natural to me, though not standard English– gotube ♦Nov 17, 2021 at 19:33
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Well when I read it, I initially thought as you. However after saying it out loud a couple of times and imagining myself actual point to the guy whilst saying it, I had to admit there is no way I would say that, in that instance. That's him I talked to. That's him - yes.... or That's him. I talked to him! or That's him. That's who I talked to. or That's him. That's the one I talked to. but not– BradNov 19, 2021 at 11:09
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2This fits with it being non-standard English. You would never say it, and I wouldn't either, but I can certainly picture other native speakers saying it, especially from certain parts of the UK.– gotube ♦Nov 20, 2021 at 1:59
Completely natural spoken and non-standard English. It would be typical of many urban dialects in the UK.
For learners, you should probably avoid this structure, certainly in writing, probably in speech, unless you are very confident in your ability. It is very hard for a non-native speaker to speak "badly" on purpose, and for it to seem natural and effective. People will assume that you've just made a mistake.
