Do you mind

Question

"Do you mind if I smoke ?"In the above sentence "if I smoke" refers to a future possibility just as "if you come with me" does in "I will tell you a story if you come with me."Then why don't we say "Will you mind if I smoke."?

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

If a person finds the presence of cigarette smoke objectionable, he/she is against smoking even before anyone lights up -- at the very moment the question is asked.

CB

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Debpriya De"Do you mind if I smoke ?"In the above sentence "if I smoke" refers to a future possibility just as "if you come with me" does in "I will tell you a story if you come with me."Then why don't we say "Will you mind if I smoke."?

Actually, in context such as this, saying "Would you mind closing the window, it is getting a little chilly ..." or "do you mind...." makes very little difference in term of significance in meaning. However, "would" is always considered a more polite form of the question and therefore preferred. It seems always confusing for learners to tell when and where to use certain auxillary in the questions, that's natural. If you are not immersed in English everyday, this kind of question will always come up. The only way to overcome this problem is to increase your English exposure to informative materials (meaning reading , listening to the news, and watching TV etc.).

Debpriya De · Answer

Hi Cool Breeze,
I can understand that a person can be averse to the cigarette smoke even before someone else actually lights a cigarette.
But what about the sentence "Do you mind if I sit beside you." ?
How can someone be averse to the idea of sitting beside someone even before he actually sits beside him if that person is a total stranger to him ?

Cool Breeze · Answer

Debpriya DeHow can someone be averse to the idea of sitting beside someone even before he actually sits beside him if that person is a total stranger to him ?

I don't know. The bottom line is that language isn't an exact science like math. People have said certain things for centuries and these things have become accepted usage. In many cases what is today considered correct English usage was actually established mostly by people whose knowledge of grammar was next to nothing.

The same is true about many other languages, perhaps most of them. English, in particular, is replete with all manner of phrases and expressions that defy the rules of logic. Looking into the etymologies of such usages may fascinate the mind, but it may also drive you nuts!

In many cases we just don't knowwhy something is said. Why do people use do in questions? English is the only Germanic language in which do is used. Even English managed perfectly well without do in questions for more than a thousand years. Then, all of a sudden, without any apparent reason, people started saying Do you know him? instead of Know you him? Why? I don't know. It would have been a grave mistake to use do in that way in the 13th century!

CB

Debpriya De · Answer

I totally agree with you CB.

Do you mind

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