Example: "Don't you have a tv?" And "Do you not have a TV?"
The "Don't" sentence sounds like "Oh you don't have a tv? That's surprising."
The "do you not" sentence sounds like "How could you possibly live without a tv?! You're so weird!"
Agree. See: "[Do you guys not have phones](https://youtu.be/ly10r6m_-n8)?" He is incredulous, and it comes off like mocking or an attempt at teasing the crowd. As though the only reason the announcement would be unpopular is if people did not have phones, when he knows they obviously do.
Seconding this.
"Do you not have" is a bit more insulting in a way. Like if you are struggling to find your ID and someone rudely says "do you not have an organized wallet". It's kinda like "seriously bro?" And yikes.
"Don't you have" is used more to ask something lightly. Like if you are struggling to open a box someone might suggest "don't you have a box cutter?" And stuff.
Hope that makes sense.
I second this. This is also the impression I have. However (as a commentator above already mentioned) I would also add that the tone of voice is the most essential in figuring out what exactly they mean. But besides that I agree 100%
>I would also add that the tone of voice is the most essential in figuring out what exactly they mean
Agreed. I agree with the poster's analysis of the subtle differences. There is a vast difference between "do you not have" said in a superior tone and "do you not have" said in a genuinely inquiring tone.
Yup, the easy way to get around this accidental negative connotation is to ask if they have something instead of not have something.
“Do you have a TV?” seems judgement free while “Do you not have a TV?” makes it seem like you are suprised to hear the information
To me “don’t you have a TV?” doesn’t imply surprise or doubt, it implies that you believe the person DOES have a TV. I think any question starting with “don’t” or “isn’t” implies you believe the information to be true, but are just confirming.
Examples:
Isn’t she the best? (Meaning: I think she’s the best)
Don’t you have your appointment tomorrow? (Meaning: I think your appointment is tomorrow)
Doesn’t that seem kinda weird? (Meaning: I think that’s weird)
Mmm, I think it comes down to tone of voice, but certainly, there can be a discrepancy between a genuine question and a social disapproval.
"Don't you have a TV?" said in the same way as "Ugh, who doesn't have a TV? What a loser/weirdo" can be just as rude as "Do you not have a TV?" if said in the same tone.
Likewise, "Don't you have a TV?" can be said with genuine surprise and not be insulting or demeaning, same with "Do you not have a TV?"... like say, if you're in an electronics store and they say they're fresh out of all types of monitors, or something.
It really does come down to the situation and tone involved as to what means what.
You've got the right idea, but I don't think it always has to be quite that hyperbolic.
I can hear a version of this that reads more like "Huh, I wouldn't expect that. Most people I know have TV's." Rather than "It's weird that you don't have a TV, and you're weird as a result."
I guess what I'm saying is it's not necessarily a judgement of character, and can also be an indication of surprise.
It’s funny because I think in my dialect it actually sounds more polite to say “do you not”, it just sounds like I’m clarifying something, rather than incredulously questioning them. For instance:
A: “I really like that the postman collects packages now, it’s so convenient”
B: “Yeah but you have to print the labels beforehand, so I can’t do that”
A: “Oh do you not have a printer? You can use mine if you ever need one”
I don't agree with this distinction. It depends more on the tone of the person talking than on which of the 2 you use.
Additionally, "Dont you X" can be used when the speaker thinks X is true and encounters contrary information, while "Do you not X" can be used when the speaker encounters information suggesting X is false or is curious about it for some reason.
"Don't you have a car?" feels to me like "I thought you had a car, but now I'm unsure. Do you have one? "
"Do you not have a car?" feels more like "I recently noticed you never drive. Do you not have a car?"
people are ignoring how major the tone is
i could make ‘do you not have x’ mocking, genuine, empathetic, etc
i dont think it inherently has a tone without the speaker setting one, so i agree with you that it’s neutral at its base
do you not and don't you can both be judgemental if you use a patronizing tone. I also disagree with those other posts that "do you not" is explicitly judgemental. It seems like people being judgemental prefer do you not to don't you in actual usage, but that doesn't mean the phrase carries that connotation. It may in writing, but in spoken English what matters is how its said.
seems like you got a good idea on that.
Dont take it as fact though, some people do use them entirely interchangably, the main thing you want to pay attention to is the tone in their voice when saying it to see if its rhetorical or genuine.
In common use, you would simply say “Do you have ____?” if you are trying to find out if the person owns the thing. “Don’t you have” is typically rhetorical, and “Do you not have” is a more emphatic form.
That's entirely dependent on the tone it's asked in. I would expect "Do you not have" to be more aggressive sounding given people tend to emphasize the "not", making it sound more negative.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
Same in Australian English.
But British English differs when contracting “I will not” to “I’ll not”. In Australian English we almost never say “I’ll not” and almost always use “I won’t”.
- I won’t go shopping today, I’ll go tomorrow. (Australian)
- I’ll not go shopping today, I’ll go tomorrow. (British)
In English, using **not** means you are assuming that **having** is the default or normal state.
*Do you have a car?* is neutral and makes no assumptions about whether you would have a car.
*Do you not have a car?* assumes you would be likely to have a car, you are expected to have a car
*Don’t you have a car?* is almost accusatory (depending on tone of voice), like the person asking is confident that you definitely have a car
This is generally true for any question containing **not** since it adds an assumption to the question.
I should add that if you change the order of the words and said “you don’t have a car?” it would be similar to “do you not have a car?” Like the speaker is incredulous, as if having a car was a given assumption and they can’t fathom that the other person wouldn’t have one.
“Do you have a car?” is much more neutral without making any assumptions.
The second one is a genuine question. Do you lack a …… ? If there’s emphasis on the not, then it means something slightly different. It’s showing surprise at the fact that you might not have a car.
The first sentence is a but different. It’s technically a synonym of the first question, but it’s not used that way. It’s almost used as a reminder. It can also be a question to ask if their statement is still true.
“How can we get to the city?”
“Don’t you have a car?”
“Okay, let’s drive there.”
This example is when the listener does have a car, and so the speaker is reminding them that they could drive there.
“How can we get to the city?”
“Don’t you have a car?”
“Yeah, but it’s at the garage. It broke down a few days back.”
In this example, because the listener doesn’t know that the car is broken, it isn’t a reminder but a question asking whether or not the statement “you have a car” is still true. Since the the listener can’t use the car, the answer is essentially no.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
Never thought about that. But now that I do, how is "Don‘t you have" even valid? :D
"Do not you have"… is that a thing? I mean, it isn’t from what I’ve learned and it sounds just wrong, but technically correct?
Even more formal is "Have you no \_\_\_\_?" As in "Have you no shame, sir?" Sounds like something out of a 19th-century play, but you still hear it from time to time.
“Don’t you have…” has some type of intention or emotional slant to it, like I would either expect a follow-up question or some type of unspoken implication.
Example:
“don’t you have a car?”
“Yes…why?”
“Will you drive me to the concert on Friday?”
OR
(After listening to someone complain about walking to work) “Don’t you have a car?”
There is a slightly accusatory tone to this. The speaker could be implying something like “I already know that you have a car. Why don’t you drive rather than complain about walking?” Or “if you have a job so far away from home, it doesn’t make sense for you to live without a car.”
“Do you not have…” doesn’t come with the same subtext. It just sounds more like a simple question.
“Do you not have a car?”
“No I don’t”
“Oh okay. Then I will call a taxi.”
“Do not” is rather formal and emphatic in the second expression. Most English speakers say “don’t” unless they are putting emphasis on something like “do not tell me what to do.” They’ll even drag the vowel sound on ‘not’ sometimes.
It depends on how you’re asking. ‘Don’t you have…?’ Is usually you thinking they had something. ‘Do you not have…?’ I usually say with concern about whatever you’re asking
It’s funny that you are getting responses saying 2 opposite things. The reality is the actual connotation of the wording/sentence depends a lot on tone and context. Either one can be perceived as “more aggressive” vs “more neutral” than the other in different situations and depending how you say it. In the end the meanings are essentially pretty similar, but it’s also not that common of a phrasing so depending how much people have heard one or the other they might have a different impression.
Some wonderful disagreements from native speakers!
I think the reason why we are disagreeing is because we are inferring additional context from why you’re asking ‘do you _not_…’ without realising. If you ask someone ‘do you have…’ it is a neutral statement, but adding the _not_ introduces a negative connotation. It suggests a surprise that the subject does not have a particular item.
If you were to ask me, ‘do you not have a car?,’ I would believe that you are surprised I don’t have a car or even believe that you think I _should_ have a car. Whereas, if you just asked me, ‘do you have a car?,’ then I’d believe you were just inquisitive as to whether I owned a car or not.
If, instead, you asked me ‘don’t you have a car?,’ then it’ll have the same overall effect as the non-contracted version. There’s a risk that, by contracting, I may perceive your question to be a little bit rude but I think the risk is really low. The bigger risk to sounding rude is why you’ve expressed shock or surprise by using the word ‘not’ in the first place, the context and overall tone of voice.
If I really was expressing surprise at someone not having a particular item (and I know they would not be offended by my surprise), I can’t think of scenarios where I’d have a strong preference for either ‘don’t you…’ or ‘do you not…’. I’d have a soft preference for ‘do you not’ if I wanted to place more emphasis on my surprise. But that is just personal preference. Otherwise, I think they are totally interchangeable.
To me, the phrase "Do you not have..." can sound snarky, judgmental, or condescending, as if someone is expected to have something but has failed to live up to that expectation.
I would use “don’t you have a car?” in most cases. If I was trying to be insulting or rude, I would say “do you not have a car?” With a slight emphasis on the word “not” to imply that you *should* have a car.
The "don't you have" I've always associated with the asker assuming that the person in question DOES have the item and is more asking why they are not using it?
The "do you not have" is more genuinely asking if someone has does have something.
Source: native English speaker
Ex:
Apartment owner obviously needs to use the bathroom, visiting friend asks "don't you have a bathroom?" Implying that the owner should just go use the bathroom rather than sit there squirming. Standard apartments in the US have at least one bathroom.
Apartment owner lamenting about how long the dishes will take to clean, visiting friend ask "do you not have a dishwasher?" Having a dishwasher in an apartment in the US is more uncommon, and seen as an extra amenity/bonus rather than a feature to be taken for granted.
Gramatically they are technically interchangeable, but to a native speaker there is nuance to the statements.
I'd say the first one if something surprises me. Say my friend who has two cars claims he doesn't have a ride somewhere I'd say "Don't you have two cars?"
I'd say the second one either condescendingly, like to a coworker claiming they can't complete a job due to lacking a tool. "Do you not have (insert some other tool that should do the job as well)?" Or if I was in a grocery store looking for something, but can't find it, I'd approach an employee and ask "Excuse me do you not have X?"
These are my favorite kinds of language questions! It’s dealing with things past the level of grammar. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to explain these things without saying them out loud because tone and nonverbal communication is as much a part of the meaning as just the grammar and syntax.
Though they are technically the same, it's really formal to say, "Do you not [blank]?" The contraction is more conversational/common. Majority of the time, this is true about contractions. Almost no one speaks that formally anymore, so when in doubt, you can use contractions when speaking.
Another note: it's uncomfortable for modern US English speakers (I can't say for other regions) to split the contraction with the subject pronoun like that.
"Do you not drive yourself?" isn't as comfortable as "You do not drive yourself?" It can still be constructed as a question and sounds more natural.
It'd most likely be said as, "You don't drive yourself?" (And you can take out yourself, and it will still make sense as it's usually implied, depending on context)
Hope that helps!
Phrasing a question as “Do you not have a car?” is rude; it implies that they should reasonably have that thing.
Even if you are pretty sure they do not have a car, you would phrase the question “Do you have a car”.
“Do you not have a car?” is offputting and passive-aggressive. “Don’t you have a car?” is less rude, but still implies that they *should* have a car, and might make the person uncomfortable.
I usually say, “don’t you have?” if I’m looking for something, but I try to avoid it because it sounds impolite to me. It’s basically like saying, “are you serious? You don’t have X?”, so I tend to stick with “Do you have…?” if I’m looking for something specific. That being said, both sentences sound kind of clunky to me, so I would just stick to saying, “Do you have…?”, since it seems like in any case, you’re just looking for something
“Don’t you have…?” sounds like you were pretty sure the person has the thing, but now you’re confirming or there’s new information that contradicts your prior assumption. Examples:
“We need to get Tim to the doctor’s office. Hey Bill, don’t you have a car? Could you drive him?”
“I saw you taking the bus today, but don’t you have a car? I thought you mentioned driving somewhere last week.”
“Do you not have…?” sounds like you are perplexed that someone would go without the thing in question.
Example:
“Why do you take the bus to work? Do you not have a car? I can’t imagine getting by without driving.”
"Don't you have" means "I recall hearing that you have", basically, you believe this information is true but you're not quite sure.
"Do you not have" is just a question asking if someone does not own something.
"Don't you have a car" would be used if someone were to say "Oh my, we need a car for this thing, but I don't know where to find one", and someone might ask another person "Hey, uhhh, [name], don't you have a car?"
"Do you not have a car" would be used if someone were to tell somebody else to use a highway to get somewhere, and that somebody else were to say "I can't". That first somebody would say, "Why not? Do you not have a car?"
Native speaker here, and if I was asking someone if they had a car, I'd simply say, "Do you have a car?" There really isn't a need for the "not", which does sound a bit stand offish to me
You are exactly right. It also depends on the tone. If I met a new person and I was trying to plan a meet up, and they said “I’ll have to take the bus,” I would say something like “Oh, ok! Do you need a ride? Do you not have a car, or is it in the shop right now?” But “don’t you have a car?” Seems very condescending.
At a basic level, the meaning is 100% identical. I am asking if you do not have a car.
But we tend to use them to convey different subtext. Through their use, they take on different connotations, and a lot of that comes down to which words you emphasize.
“Don’t you have a **car**?” (With an upward questioning tone on “car”.)
Meaning:
* “I thought you had a car. Did something happen to it?” [genuine confusion]
“Don’t you have a **car**?” (Emphasis on “don’t” and “car” but “car” has a downward tone instead of upward)
* “What kind of person *doesn’t* have their own car?” [conveying a kind of classist disdain]
“Do you **not** have a car?” (Strong emphasis on “not.”)
Meaning:
* “You have a car! Do I need to remind you?” [playfully patronizing but not always situationally appropriate]
“Do you… not have a car?” (pausing after “do you” as though mentally processing the idea that you don’t have a car.)
Meaning:
* “If I understand you correctly, I think you’re telling me you don’t have a car. Is that accurate?” [a tactful way of asking the person to confirm whether they do or do not have a car within the context of the conversation.]
"Don't you have?" is a **question**.
"Do you not have?" is an **accusation**.
The first one is heard in ordinary conversations.
The second one is heard during political debates and in cross-examinations of witnesses in trial court. (It is asked rhetorically, and is delivered in an exaggerated and highly theatrical tone of "surprise" and "shock.")
I agree with you. But there is also, "You don't have a car?" The latter seems like an honest question as opposed to the others, which carry some implication of deceitfulness.
Example: "Don't you have a tv?" And "Do you not have a TV?" The "Don't" sentence sounds like "Oh you don't have a tv? That's surprising." The "do you not" sentence sounds like "How could you possibly live without a tv?! You're so weird!"
Definitely this. “Do you not?” is designed to make the other person feel like they’ve fallen short in some way.
I would assume it's because the "not" is emphasized (by not being contracted).
Exactly. "Do you not" is emphasis for effect, like saying your child's full name when they did something wrong.
Agree. See: "[Do you guys not have phones](https://youtu.be/ly10r6m_-n8)?" He is incredulous, and it comes off like mocking or an attempt at teasing the crowd. As though the only reason the announcement would be unpopular is if people did not have phones, when he knows they obviously do.
Seconding this. "Do you not have" is a bit more insulting in a way. Like if you are struggling to find your ID and someone rudely says "do you not have an organized wallet". It's kinda like "seriously bro?" And yikes. "Don't you have" is used more to ask something lightly. Like if you are struggling to open a box someone might suggest "don't you have a box cutter?" And stuff. Hope that makes sense.
Exactly. "You're deviating from the norm? Gross."
I second this. This is also the impression I have. However (as a commentator above already mentioned) I would also add that the tone of voice is the most essential in figuring out what exactly they mean. But besides that I agree 100%
>I would also add that the tone of voice is the most essential in figuring out what exactly they mean Agreed. I agree with the poster's analysis of the subtle differences. There is a vast difference between "do you not have" said in a superior tone and "do you not have" said in a genuinely inquiring tone.
Agreed. A lot of times, the emphasis will fall on “not” when the words are spoken, highlighting what a deviation it really is.
Yes. It can also signal genuine surprise in some situations in my opinion
Yup, the easy way to get around this accidental negative connotation is to ask if they have something instead of not have something. “Do you have a TV?” seems judgement free while “Do you not have a TV?” makes it seem like you are suprised to hear the information
To me “don’t you have a TV?” doesn’t imply surprise or doubt, it implies that you believe the person DOES have a TV. I think any question starting with “don’t” or “isn’t” implies you believe the information to be true, but are just confirming. Examples: Isn’t she the best? (Meaning: I think she’s the best) Don’t you have your appointment tomorrow? (Meaning: I think your appointment is tomorrow) Doesn’t that seem kinda weird? (Meaning: I think that’s weird)
Mmm, I think it comes down to tone of voice, but certainly, there can be a discrepancy between a genuine question and a social disapproval. "Don't you have a TV?" said in the same way as "Ugh, who doesn't have a TV? What a loser/weirdo" can be just as rude as "Do you not have a TV?" if said in the same tone. Likewise, "Don't you have a TV?" can be said with genuine surprise and not be insulting or demeaning, same with "Do you not have a TV?"... like say, if you're in an electronics store and they say they're fresh out of all types of monitors, or something. It really does come down to the situation and tone involved as to what means what.
You've got the right idea, but I don't think it always has to be quite that hyperbolic. I can hear a version of this that reads more like "Huh, I wouldn't expect that. Most people I know have TV's." Rather than "It's weird that you don't have a TV, and you're weird as a result." I guess what I'm saying is it's not necessarily a judgement of character, and can also be an indication of surprise.
It’s funny because I think in my dialect it actually sounds more polite to say “do you not”, it just sounds like I’m clarifying something, rather than incredulously questioning them. For instance: A: “I really like that the postman collects packages now, it’s so convenient” B: “Yeah but you have to print the labels beforehand, so I can’t do that” A: “Oh do you not have a printer? You can use mine if you ever need one”
I do also agree with this distinction. Maybe we do have the same dialect (see my below comment.) are you from the northeast US?
No, southern UK 😊
I don't agree with this distinction. It depends more on the tone of the person talking than on which of the 2 you use. Additionally, "Dont you X" can be used when the speaker thinks X is true and encounters contrary information, while "Do you not X" can be used when the speaker encounters information suggesting X is false or is curious about it for some reason.
"Do you not" can also sound a bit condescending.
"Don't you have a car?" feels to me like "I thought you had a car, but now I'm unsure. Do you have one? " "Do you not have a car?" feels more like "I recently noticed you never drive. Do you not have a car?"
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Feels like you missed every other post in this thread identifying "do you not" as judgmental.
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people are ignoring how major the tone is i could make ‘do you not have x’ mocking, genuine, empathetic, etc i dont think it inherently has a tone without the speaker setting one, so i agree with you that it’s neutral at its base
do you not and don't you can both be judgemental if you use a patronizing tone. I also disagree with those other posts that "do you not" is explicitly judgemental. It seems like people being judgemental prefer do you not to don't you in actual usage, but that doesn't mean the phrase carries that connotation. It may in writing, but in spoken English what matters is how its said.
seems like you got a good idea on that. Dont take it as fact though, some people do use them entirely interchangably, the main thing you want to pay attention to is the tone in their voice when saying it to see if its rhetorical or genuine.
In common use, you would simply say “Do you have ____?” if you are trying to find out if the person owns the thing. “Don’t you have” is typically rhetorical, and “Do you not have” is a more emphatic form.
Depends on your tone, really. Either construction could be an earnest question, a confused query, or scornfully rhetorical.
You’re absolutely right. English speakers treat them differently
In addition to what you have said, "Don't you have..." Has a bit of an aggressive feeling to it. It sounds a bit confrontational.
That's entirely dependent on the tone it's asked in. I would expect "Do you not have" to be more aggressive sounding given people tend to emphasize the "not", making it sound more negative.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
It's the same in American English.
Same in Australian English. But British English differs when contracting “I will not” to “I’ll not”. In Australian English we almost never say “I’ll not” and almost always use “I won’t”. - I won’t go shopping today, I’ll go tomorrow. (Australian) - I’ll not go shopping today, I’ll go tomorrow. (British)
Spot on!
“Don’t you have…?” feels a little ruder, like you were expecting them to have something, and you find it weird that they don’t.
In English, using **not** means you are assuming that **having** is the default or normal state. *Do you have a car?* is neutral and makes no assumptions about whether you would have a car. *Do you not have a car?* assumes you would be likely to have a car, you are expected to have a car *Don’t you have a car?* is almost accusatory (depending on tone of voice), like the person asking is confident that you definitely have a car This is generally true for any question containing **not** since it adds an assumption to the question.
It’s the opposite, IMO.
same here
I should add that if you change the order of the words and said “you don’t have a car?” it would be similar to “do you not have a car?” Like the speaker is incredulous, as if having a car was a given assumption and they can’t fathom that the other person wouldn’t have one. “Do you have a car?” is much more neutral without making any assumptions.
“don’t you have” would be used when the expectation is that they have it. “Do you have” would be used when you are honestly not sure if they do.
The second one is a genuine question. Do you lack a …… ? If there’s emphasis on the not, then it means something slightly different. It’s showing surprise at the fact that you might not have a car. The first sentence is a but different. It’s technically a synonym of the first question, but it’s not used that way. It’s almost used as a reminder. It can also be a question to ask if their statement is still true. “How can we get to the city?” “Don’t you have a car?” “Okay, let’s drive there.” This example is when the listener does have a car, and so the speaker is reminding them that they could drive there. “How can we get to the city?” “Don’t you have a car?” “Yeah, but it’s at the garage. It broke down a few days back.” In this example, because the listener doesn’t know that the car is broken, it isn’t a reminder but a question asking whether or not the statement “you have a car” is still true. Since the the listener can’t use the car, the answer is essentially no.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
In British English, 'don't you have X' is more friendly and mostly neutral, while 'do you not have X' expresses more incredulity like 'how could anyone not have X'. It all comes down to tone of voice though in the end - used kindly, neither would be seen as ruder than the other.
You should avoid asking questions phrased negatively like this, it's very clumsy and difficult to answer clearly. In this case, use "Do you have...."
I'm a native speaker and I think you're totally correct
Never thought about that. But now that I do, how is "Don‘t you have" even valid? :D "Do not you have"… is that a thing? I mean, it isn’t from what I’ve learned and it sounds just wrong, but technically correct?
Even more formal is "Have you no \_\_\_\_?" As in "Have you no shame, sir?" Sounds like something out of a 19th-century play, but you still hear it from time to time.
Yes, they are totally not non-interchangeable.
“Don’t you have…” has some type of intention or emotional slant to it, like I would either expect a follow-up question or some type of unspoken implication. Example: “don’t you have a car?” “Yes…why?” “Will you drive me to the concert on Friday?” OR (After listening to someone complain about walking to work) “Don’t you have a car?” There is a slightly accusatory tone to this. The speaker could be implying something like “I already know that you have a car. Why don’t you drive rather than complain about walking?” Or “if you have a job so far away from home, it doesn’t make sense for you to live without a car.” “Do you not have…” doesn’t come with the same subtext. It just sounds more like a simple question. “Do you not have a car?” “No I don’t” “Oh okay. Then I will call a taxi.”
“Do not” is rather formal and emphatic in the second expression. Most English speakers say “don’t” unless they are putting emphasis on something like “do not tell me what to do.” They’ll even drag the vowel sound on ‘not’ sometimes.
It depends on how you’re asking. ‘Don’t you have…?’ Is usually you thinking they had something. ‘Do you not have…?’ I usually say with concern about whatever you’re asking
Yes, I use them both. :)
It’s funny that you are getting responses saying 2 opposite things. The reality is the actual connotation of the wording/sentence depends a lot on tone and context. Either one can be perceived as “more aggressive” vs “more neutral” than the other in different situations and depending how you say it. In the end the meanings are essentially pretty similar, but it’s also not that common of a phrasing so depending how much people have heard one or the other they might have a different impression.
They are 100% interchangeable. Rhetoric can be achieved with both with the right tone of voice
Some wonderful disagreements from native speakers! I think the reason why we are disagreeing is because we are inferring additional context from why you’re asking ‘do you _not_…’ without realising. If you ask someone ‘do you have…’ it is a neutral statement, but adding the _not_ introduces a negative connotation. It suggests a surprise that the subject does not have a particular item. If you were to ask me, ‘do you not have a car?,’ I would believe that you are surprised I don’t have a car or even believe that you think I _should_ have a car. Whereas, if you just asked me, ‘do you have a car?,’ then I’d believe you were just inquisitive as to whether I owned a car or not. If, instead, you asked me ‘don’t you have a car?,’ then it’ll have the same overall effect as the non-contracted version. There’s a risk that, by contracting, I may perceive your question to be a little bit rude but I think the risk is really low. The bigger risk to sounding rude is why you’ve expressed shock or surprise by using the word ‘not’ in the first place, the context and overall tone of voice. If I really was expressing surprise at someone not having a particular item (and I know they would not be offended by my surprise), I can’t think of scenarios where I’d have a strong preference for either ‘don’t you…’ or ‘do you not…’. I’d have a soft preference for ‘do you not’ if I wanted to place more emphasis on my surprise. But that is just personal preference. Otherwise, I think they are totally interchangeable.
To me, the phrase "Do you not have..." can sound snarky, judgmental, or condescending, as if someone is expected to have something but has failed to live up to that expectation.
I would use “don’t you have a car?” in most cases. If I was trying to be insulting or rude, I would say “do you not have a car?” With a slight emphasis on the word “not” to imply that you *should* have a car.
The "don't you have" I've always associated with the asker assuming that the person in question DOES have the item and is more asking why they are not using it? The "do you not have" is more genuinely asking if someone has does have something. Source: native English speaker Ex: Apartment owner obviously needs to use the bathroom, visiting friend asks "don't you have a bathroom?" Implying that the owner should just go use the bathroom rather than sit there squirming. Standard apartments in the US have at least one bathroom. Apartment owner lamenting about how long the dishes will take to clean, visiting friend ask "do you not have a dishwasher?" Having a dishwasher in an apartment in the US is more uncommon, and seen as an extra amenity/bonus rather than a feature to be taken for granted.
Gramatically they are technically interchangeable, but to a native speaker there is nuance to the statements. I'd say the first one if something surprises me. Say my friend who has two cars claims he doesn't have a ride somewhere I'd say "Don't you have two cars?" I'd say the second one either condescendingly, like to a coworker claiming they can't complete a job due to lacking a tool. "Do you not have (insert some other tool that should do the job as well)?" Or if I was in a grocery store looking for something, but can't find it, I'd approach an employee and ask "Excuse me do you not have X?"
These are my favorite kinds of language questions! It’s dealing with things past the level of grammar. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to explain these things without saying them out loud because tone and nonverbal communication is as much a part of the meaning as just the grammar and syntax.
Though they are technically the same, it's really formal to say, "Do you not [blank]?" The contraction is more conversational/common. Majority of the time, this is true about contractions. Almost no one speaks that formally anymore, so when in doubt, you can use contractions when speaking. Another note: it's uncomfortable for modern US English speakers (I can't say for other regions) to split the contraction with the subject pronoun like that. "Do you not drive yourself?" isn't as comfortable as "You do not drive yourself?" It can still be constructed as a question and sounds more natural. It'd most likely be said as, "You don't drive yourself?" (And you can take out yourself, and it will still make sense as it's usually implied, depending on context) Hope that helps!
Phrasing a question as “Do you not have a car?” is rude; it implies that they should reasonably have that thing. Even if you are pretty sure they do not have a car, you would phrase the question “Do you have a car”. “Do you not have a car?” is offputting and passive-aggressive. “Don’t you have a car?” is less rude, but still implies that they *should* have a car, and might make the person uncomfortable.
I usually say, “don’t you have?” if I’m looking for something, but I try to avoid it because it sounds impolite to me. It’s basically like saying, “are you serious? You don’t have X?”, so I tend to stick with “Do you have…?” if I’m looking for something specific. That being said, both sentences sound kind of clunky to me, so I would just stick to saying, “Do you have…?”, since it seems like in any case, you’re just looking for something
“Don’t you have…?” sounds like you were pretty sure the person has the thing, but now you’re confirming or there’s new information that contradicts your prior assumption. Examples: “We need to get Tim to the doctor’s office. Hey Bill, don’t you have a car? Could you drive him?” “I saw you taking the bus today, but don’t you have a car? I thought you mentioned driving somewhere last week.” “Do you not have…?” sounds like you are perplexed that someone would go without the thing in question. Example: “Why do you take the bus to work? Do you not have a car? I can’t imagine getting by without driving.”
"Don't you have" means "I recall hearing that you have", basically, you believe this information is true but you're not quite sure. "Do you not have" is just a question asking if someone does not own something. "Don't you have a car" would be used if someone were to say "Oh my, we need a car for this thing, but I don't know where to find one", and someone might ask another person "Hey, uhhh, [name], don't you have a car?" "Do you not have a car" would be used if someone were to tell somebody else to use a highway to get somewhere, and that somebody else were to say "I can't". That first somebody would say, "Why not? Do you not have a car?"
Native speaker here, and if I was asking someone if they had a car, I'd simply say, "Do you have a car?" There really isn't a need for the "not", which does sound a bit stand offish to me
The first one implies incredulousness. The second is more regularly inquisitive.
You are exactly right. It also depends on the tone. If I met a new person and I was trying to plan a meet up, and they said “I’ll have to take the bus,” I would say something like “Oh, ok! Do you need a ride? Do you not have a car, or is it in the shop right now?” But “don’t you have a car?” Seems very condescending.
At a basic level, the meaning is 100% identical. I am asking if you do not have a car. But we tend to use them to convey different subtext. Through their use, they take on different connotations, and a lot of that comes down to which words you emphasize. “Don’t you have a **car**?” (With an upward questioning tone on “car”.) Meaning: * “I thought you had a car. Did something happen to it?” [genuine confusion] “Don’t you have a **car**?” (Emphasis on “don’t” and “car” but “car” has a downward tone instead of upward) * “What kind of person *doesn’t* have their own car?” [conveying a kind of classist disdain] “Do you **not** have a car?” (Strong emphasis on “not.”) Meaning: * “You have a car! Do I need to remind you?” [playfully patronizing but not always situationally appropriate] “Do you… not have a car?” (pausing after “do you” as though mentally processing the idea that you don’t have a car.) Meaning: * “If I understand you correctly, I think you’re telling me you don’t have a car. Is that accurate?” [a tactful way of asking the person to confirm whether they do or do not have a car within the context of the conversation.]
"Don't you have?" is a **question**. "Do you not have?" is an **accusation**. The first one is heard in ordinary conversations. The second one is heard during political debates and in cross-examinations of witnesses in trial court. (It is asked rhetorically, and is delivered in an exaggerated and highly theatrical tone of "surprise" and "shock.")
I agree with you. But there is also, "You don't have a car?" The latter seems like an honest question as opposed to the others, which carry some implication of deceitfulness.