Correlated-basis-function perturbation theory is used to evaluate the zero-temperature response S(q,) of 3 He mixtures for inelastic neutron scattering, at momentum transfers q ranging from 1.1 to 1.8 Å Ϫ1 . We adopt a Jastrow correlated ground state and a basis of correlated particle-hole and phonon states. We insert correlated one-particle-one-hole and one-and two-phonon states to compute the second-order response. The decay of the one-phonon states into two-phonon states is accounted for in the boson-boson approximation. The full response is split into three partial components S ␣ (q,), each of them showing a particle-hole bump and a one phonon, ␦-shaped peak, which stays separated from the multiphonon background. The cross term S 34 (q,) results to be of comparable importance to S 33 (q,) in the particle-hole sector and to S 44 (q,) in the phonon one. Once the response has been convoluted with the experimental broadening, the computed scattering function is in semiquantitative agreement with recent experimental measurements.