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Coincidence Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Want to

Hello Emotion: smile
Could you please tell me if we say, for example:
  1. You can use my bike if you want.
  2. You can use my bike if you want to.
  3. I proposed that she go with us but she didn't want.
  4. I proposed that she go with us but she didn't want to.
I think we can say both but maybe 2 and 4 are more formal...?

Thank you for your help Emotion: smile
Kind regards.
  

Top answer

"Didn't want" doesn't work. "If you want" is the expression, in other cases (without the "if"), you need to say "want to".

— Vorpar

  • "Didn't want" doesn't work.
  • "If you want" is the expression, in other cases (without the "if"), you need to say "want to".
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3 Answers
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"Didn't want" doesn't work.

"If you want" is the expression, in other cases (without the "if"), you need to say "want to".
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2 and 4 are fine.

Oddly enough, 1 is okay (but informal) but 3 is not. I'm trying to figure out why.

"You can come if you want" is very common. "He can come if he wants" is also okay. Both are quite informal. "I proposed that she go with us..." is much more formal, but I don't think that's the main problem with sentence #3. I whink using "want' without the "to" just doesn
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I edited my above: My conclusion is that "want to" is phrasal, and that you can only exclude the "to" if you use the common phrase "if you want". This expression can't be used in the negative.

Other sentences that don't work:

...If you don't want.
Do you want?
I do want.
etc.
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