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I want to know how can I put the word "not" in these sentences :

  1. Would you open the door?

** I know that I can say:"Would you close the door?" but I want to use the word "not".

  1. I wonder if you would mind open the door ?

  2. I want you to open the door.

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  • @TimLymington Usually? I don't think so. And nowhere does the OP write not open the door. And there is nothing wrong with not opening the door or do not open the door. But yes, the question could be made clearer, no doubt.
    – Drew
    Sep 16, 2014 at 21:19

3 Answers 3

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  • Would you not open the door?

  • I wonder if you would mind not opening the door?

  • I want you to not open the door.

You can also add please. ;-) And you can use I would like instead of I want. These are a bit more polite:

  • Would you please not open the door?

  • I wonder if you would mind not opening the door, please?

  • I would prefer that you not open the door, please.

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    For your third example, consider: <br> <br> I do not want you to open the door. <br> This avoid a split infinitive.
    – Gary's Student
    Sep 16, 2014 at 17:30
  • @Gary'sStudent: Why would you want to do that? ;-)
    – Drew
    Sep 16, 2014 at 21:20
  • I know some editors that are fussy about split infinitives....its a writing style issue.
    – Gary's Student
    Sep 16, 2014 at 21:34
  • @Gary'sStudent: There are split infinitives and split infinitives. Some confuse or lose meaning by obfuscation. Others do not. This is like the (thankfully) forgotten or ignored prohibition against ending a sentence with a preposition. (Churchill's This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.)
    – Drew
    Sep 16, 2014 at 21:41
  • I agree with you......if you do not have to face an editor's red pen, you are free to write to meet your own editorial standards.
    – Gary's Student
    Sep 16, 2014 at 22:04
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If you want minimal changes to the sentences this is tough.

  1. Please do not open the door.

  2. [Note that the original is wrong. It should be "I wonder if you would mind opening the door." The question mark is optional; the present participle is not.]

I wonder if you would mind not opening the door?

  1. I want you not to open the door.

But no well-educated Englishman would ever say 3. He would say something like "I would prefer you not to open the door."

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It depends on the intention of the question and what you want to express, remember that sometimes we can neither translate literaly from our original language to English nor viceversa. Following the rules I consider that the phrase coulb be this "Wouldn't you open the door?"

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