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mind: do you mind, etc

Meaning and use​

Mind can mean ‘dislike’, ‘be annoyed by’, ‘object to’. We use mind mostly in questions and negative clauses.

  • ‘Do you mind the smell of tobacco?’ ‘Not at all.’
  • Do you mind if we leave a bit earlier today?
  • I don’t mind if you use my car.

After mind, we can use an -ing form, or object + -ing form.

  • Do you mind waiting a few minutes? (not … to wait …)
  • I don’t mind you coming in late if you don’t wake me up.

Would you mind …?​

We can use Would you mind …? to ask people to do things, or to ask for permission.

  • Would you mind opening the window? (= Please open …)
  • Would you mind if I opened the window?

Do/Would you mind my …ing?​

In a slightly more formal style, we can use my, your, etc with an -ing form after mind ( (see here).

  • Do you mind my smoking? (More informal: … me smoking? … if I smoke?)

Answers​

After Would/Do you mind …?, we use No or Not at all (more formal) to give permission (but we often add more words to make the meaning quite clear).

  • ‘Do you mind if I look at your paper?’ ‘No, please do / that’s OK / sure.’

Tenses​

In subordinate clauses after mind, a present tense is usually used if we want to express a future meaning (see here).

  • I don’t mind what the children do after they leave home. (not I don’t mind what the children will do …)