What is the right response to "Do you mind"?

[mugiallani]

I often get confused when someone asks, "do you mind....?'' is it correct to say "Yes, I mind" or should i simply say ''I mind"

In other words can a ''YES'' be used in a negative sense or a "NO'' for an affirmative response?

kind regards,
mugiallan@yahoo.co.uk

[south carolina]

Dear mugiallan,
in english, ''yes'' should not be used to mean ''no''..i think it would suffice to simply say ''i mind'' or ''i dont mind'' rather than ''yes, i mind'' or ''no, i dont mind''.

I think ''yes, i mind'' or ''no. i dont mind'' are contradicting statements.

i hope that solves your confusion.

thanks

[Conchita]

Hello Mugiallan and South Carolina,

Your comments have caught my attention. Curiously enough, ‘I mind’ and ‘I don’t mind’ on their own don’t sound like complete answers to me. I would say: ‘Yes, I do’ or No, I don’t’. Or, to be more emphatic, ‘Of course I do!’ or ‘Not at all!’ Do you think these sound too formal? Most often than not, though, I reply 'No, I don't' (out of shyness, I suppose), unless it's really, really very inconvenient to me – I'm not a martyr, after all!

So, in answer to Mugiallan's question: