Cerca tra vari insegnanti di Inglese...
callmemaybe
Which one is correct? Is it " don't want to do sth" or " want not to do sth"
Hey,
I'm learning the negative form of "to do sth." It is said the negative form of " to do sth" is "not to do sth."
So should I say " I want not to do sth" It seems so weird to say that way. I'm so confused, please help me out. thx.
28 ott 2014 11:48
Risposte · 1
You are quite right. 'I want not to do something' is a strange thing to say in most situations.
The opposite of 'I want to do this' is - obviously - 'I don't want to do this'.
If you want to express a lack of desire to do something, you put the verb 'want' into the negative, not the verb 'do'.
I think that you are over-applying some grammar which is intended for a different use. 'Not to do' is a negative infinitive. For example:
He agreed to do this.
He agreed not to do this.
28 ottobre 2014
Non hai ancora trovato le tue risposte?
Scrivi le tue domande e lascia che i madrelingua ti aiutino!
callmemaybe
Competenze linguistiche
Cinese (mandarino), Inglese
Lingua di apprendimento
Inglese
Altri articoli che potrebbero piacerti

Same Word, Different Meaning: American, British, and South African English
11 consensi · 8 Commenti

How to Sound Confident in English (Even When You’re Nervous)
13 consensi · 11 Commenti

Marketing Vocabulary and Phrases for Business English Learners
10 consensi · 4 Commenti
Altri articoli