When I say for example "Do you mind if I borrow this?" Often they will reply with "yes of course" or "no not at all".
Its confusing to me because I am not sure if they mean "yes of course I mind" or "yes of course you can use it" Is it confusing to you?
I can usually figure them out by their body language but it can be confusing.
2006-11-03 19:25:30 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
yep...all the time when i was young.
when someone would ask me that, i always said yes. then they'd just look at me wierd, in a mean way.
now i know to say "no, i don't mind." =]
2006-11-03 19:29:50 · answer #1 · answered by Gigi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The answers should be 'Yes, I do mind' or 'No, I do not mind', but as you correctly point out, people do not always give a clear answer.
If in doubt, ask! I usually say 'Is that yes as in yes or yes as in no?' so that they end up just as confused as me, and the original question can be asked again.
2006-11-04 04:49:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh yes! I get confused just about every night when my roommate goes to turn off the light. She says: "Do you mind if I turn off the light?" and somehow this translates in my mind to "can I turn off the light?", so I say "yes." She turns it off anyway because she's used to me saying that by now, but at first she was the confused one. It's just a confusing arrangement of words.
2006-11-04 03:36:56 · answer #3 · answered by Marie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, it can be confusing. Usually if I'm not clear, I just take a second to confirm it by saying something like, "so it's okay?" and they will answer again if they mind.
2006-11-04 04:28:18 · answer #4 · answered by Shadowtwinchaos 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The correct way to answer should be, "No, not at all." if the person does NOT mind it at all. The first answer IS confusing.
2006-11-04 04:00:01 · answer #5 · answered by CRT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why don't you just change your question?
Say instead, "May I borrow this?" Then you will get a definite yes or no answer!
2006-11-04 04:08:39 · answer #6 · answered by Cat Lover 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, sometimes, you're caught off-guard so when you made aware that this person is talking to you and asking if he or she could borrow that something, you would quickly say that "sure, yes, use it!"
2006-11-04 03:38:12 · answer #7 · answered by xxon_23 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOL. The answer is "yes I mind" or "No I do not mind". Since there is confusion, I always answer "No I don't mind"; or "sorry, ... " blah
2006-11-04 04:23:53 · answer #8 · answered by ZenPenguin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in order 2 avoid confusion, y dnt u just say CAN I BORROW THIS??? aint i right???
y complicate things? lol
2006-11-04 07:26:48 · answer #9 · answered by 2D1iLuV 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
usually when ppl say 'yes'(followed by anything) they mean yes they mind.
and 'no' usually stands 4 'no i don't mind'
2006-11-04 03:30:18 · answer #10 · answered by ♥ pari ♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋