Lesson 46 Never mind

ポイント
ドンマイ is commonly used in Japan to sympathize with someone while telling them not to worry, so people naturally think that “don’t mind” has the same meaning in English. But it doesn’t.

ダイアログ
Kevin: I went for an interview for a job I really wanted, but the company didn’t hire me.
Saki: Don’t mind. There are plenty of other good companies.

解説
Saki shouldn’t say “Don’t mind” to Kevin here. The correct phrase is “Never mind.” As an imperative (命令法), “Don’t mind” is followed by an object to tell the listener to ignore the object: “Don’t mind the mess” or “Don’t mind the noise.” Also, “don’t mind” between a subject and an object tells the listener the subject is unconcerned about the object: “I don’t mind the noise” or “I don’t mind where we go for lunch.”