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How would I say: "Leave the door open."

It will have เปีดประตู in the sentence, but I'm not sure how to express "Leave".

Naga wrote:How would I say: "Leave the door open."

It will have เปีดประตู in the sentence, but I'm not sure how to express "Leave".

เปิดประตูไว้(ก่อน)

ไว้, generally meaning 'to preserve, to keep', occurs after the main verb to indicate that the action of that verb is done -- and held over -- with some future purpose in mind. Its meaning in this usage is 'effect of action preserved for time being.' เปิดประตูไว้ thus leaves the door in an open condition for some future relevance.

Variants of ไว้ as verbal postposition include เอาไว้ (emphasizing a personal purpose of the subject) and ทิ้งไว้ (emphasizing the location of the temporarily preserved effect of the action of the main verb).

ฉันเด็ดดอกไม้เอาไว้ ใส่แจกัน I'm picking some flowers to put into a vase (I'm getting them picked for this future purpose of mine).

ผมจอดรถทิ้งไว้ข้างหน้า I've got the car parked out in front (where I left it and where I get into it again).

Also ...

ดิฉันตั้งใจไว้แล้วว่า จะมาหาคุณ I had already intended to come to see you.

ทิ้งเสื้อไว้ที่นั่นซิ Leave the coat there (where you can get it later on).

จำไว้ให้ดีนะจ๊ะ Remember it well, now, OK?

เปิดหน้าต่างไว้ Open the window (leaving it that way -- perhaps for ventilation purposes).

This verbal postposition contrasts with another such postposition, เสีย (often sounded out as ซะ). เสีย occurs in certain contexts, meaning 'done with permanent effect, with no future relevance':

ทิ้งเสื้อเสียที่นั่นซิ Leave the coat there (to be rid of it).

แม่ไม่ได้ไปไหนเสีย Your Mom hasn't gone anywhere (she may have gone somewhere, but not for good).

เสีย and ซะ are identical in form to another verbal postpositon meaning 'action viewed as finite and complete, as a unit in its owns right.' Main verb plus เสีย or ซะ is somewhat like the preterite tense of the main verb in the Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, French et al.).

แต่ผมเป็นสมาชิกซะแล้ว But now I have become a member (it's a done deal).

เขาวางจานไว้ซะในตู้ He has (gone and) put the dishes away in the cupboard.

ดิฉันคอยซะตั้งนานแล้ว I waited (for it, him, you ...) an awfully long time (although the wait is over now).

ไม่ปิดประตู ... ?

Rick Bradford wrote:ไม่ปิดประตู ... ?

Using the negative, we could probably say: อยาปิดประตูก่อนนะ where the ก่อน implies : not before we do certain other things that depend on the door being open.

Otherwise, if the door is already open, then ปล่อยให้ประตูเปิด might work.

Thanks for the explanation of the use of ไว้

Much appreciated.