Spoken English

Use of Do you mind if I + (verb) & I don’t know what to + (verb); Day: 28

Do you mind if I + (verb)

You are asking someone in present tense if they object to something you are asking.

āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āϤāĻŽāĻžāύ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāωāϕ⧇ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāϛ⧇āύ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϤāĻžāϰāĻž āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϰ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁āϤ⧇ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰ⧇āĨ¤

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“Do you mind if I excuse myself?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āύāĻŋāĻœā§‡āϕ⧇ āĻŽāĻžāĻĢ āĻ•āϰ⧇ āĻĻāĻŋāϞ⧇ āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇?”

“Do you mind if we left early?”

“āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āϤāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻžāϤāĻžāĻĄāĻŧāĻŋ āϚāϞ⧇ āϝāĻžāχ?”

“Do you mind if I take a nap?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟ⧁ āϘ⧁āĻŽāĻžāϞ⧇ āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇?”

“Do you mind if I ask your mom?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžā§‡āϏ āĻ•āϰāĻŋ āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇?”

“Do you mind if it snows?”

“āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āϤ⧁āώāĻžāϰāĻĒāĻžāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ?”

You could also use the word ‘would’

āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ ‘would’ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻāϟāĻŋāĻ“ āĻŦā§āϝāĻŦāĻšāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇āύ

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“Would you mind if we went out to eat?”

“āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻŽāύ⧇ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āφāĻŽāϰāĻž āĻŦāĻžāχāϰ⧇ āϖ⧇āϤ⧇ āϝāĻžāχ?”

“Would you mind if I opened the window?”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻžāϞāĻž āϖ⧁āϞāϞ⧇ āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻŽāύ⧇ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇?”

“Would you mind telling me what you’re doing?”

“āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āϰāϛ⧇āύ āφāĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻŦāϞāϤ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻŽāύ⧇ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇āύ āύāĻž?”

“Would you mind being quiet for a minute?”

“āϤ⧁āĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻāĻ• āĻŽāĻŋāύāĻŋāĻŸā§‡āϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āϚ⧁āĻĒ āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϤ⧇ āφāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ⧇?”

“Would you mind if I changed the channel?”

I don’t know what to + (verb)

You are letting someone know that you are not sure about what is being asked. You may also have no knowledge or opinion on a topic.

āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻ•āĻžāωāϕ⧇ āϜāĻžāύāĻžāĻšā§āϛ⧇āύ āϝ⧇ āϝāĻž āϜāĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāĻžāϏāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž āĻšāĻšā§āϛ⧇ āϏ⧇ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϕ⧇ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āύāĻŋāĻļā§āϚāĻŋāϤ āύāύāĨ¤ āφāĻĒāύāĻŋ āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇ āϕ⧋āύ āĻœā§āĻžāĻžāύ āĻŦāĻž āĻŽāϤāĻžāĻŽāϤ āĻĨāĻžāĻ•āϤ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāϰ⧇.

Here are some examples:

āĻāĻ–āĻžāύ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšāϰāĻŖāσ:

“I don’t know what to eat for dinner.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϰāĻžāϤ⧇āϰ āĻ–āĻžāĻŦāĻžāϰ⧇āϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ–āĻžāĻŦ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻžāĨ¤”

“I don’t know what to buy you for your birthday.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻž āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻĻāĻŋāύ⧇āϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋāύāĻŦāĨ¤”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻŦāϞāĻŦ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻžāĨ¤”

“I don’t know what to do with my spare time.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻž āφāĻŽāĻžāϰ āĻ…āĻŦāϏāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻŦāĨ¤”

“I don’t know what to do for vacation.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻž āϛ⧁āϟāĻŋāϤ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇āĨ¤”

“I do not know what to do to make you happy.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻž āϤ⧋āĻŽāĻžāϕ⧇ āϖ⧁āĻļāĻŋ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇āĨ¤”

“I do not know what to do to help you understand.”

“āφāĻĒāύāĻžāϕ⧇ āĻŦ⧁āĻāϤ⧇ āϏāĻžāĻšāĻžāĻ¯ā§āϝ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻžāĨ¤”

“I do not know what to think.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻž āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ­āĻžāĻŦāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇.”

“I do not know what to do to prevent this.”

“āĻāϟāĻŋ āĻĒā§āϰāϤāĻŋāϰ⧋āϧ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āϜāĻ¨ā§āϝ āϕ⧀ āĻ•āϰāϤ⧇ āĻšāĻŦ⧇ āϤāĻž āφāĻŽāĻŋ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻžāĨ¤”

“I do not know what to order.”

“āφāĻŽāĻŋ āĻ•āĻŋ āĻ…āĻ°ā§āĻĄāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻŦ āϜāĻžāύāĻŋ āύāĻžāĨ¤”