asked

asked — verb

1. to say something to someone in order to get information from them, for example b

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

to say something to someone in order to get information from them, for example by putting a direct question to them.

Example

The teacher asked her students what they already knew about the ancient Maya.

ask + someone + wh-word clause

Gabriel asked the librarian for help finding a book on Korean history.

ask + someone + for + something

Common collocations
  • ask a question
  • ask someone about something
  • ask whether / if
  • ask for directions
  • ask the time
  • keep asking
Synonyms
  • inquire

    more formal; used in official or written contexts

  • question

    more deliberate or intense; often about investigating something

  • quiz

    informal, often means testing someone's knowledge repeatedly

Antonyms
  • answer

    to give, not seek, information

  • reply

    to respond to a question that has been asked

Grammar Patterns

ask + [someone] + [question-word] + clause

ask + [someone] + about + [topic]

ask + [someone] + whether/if + clause

ask + [someone] + [noun phrase (the question)]

Usage Note

When the person being asked is named, no preposition is used before them — 'ask him', NOT 'ask to him'. The verb commonly appears in past simple form in stories and everyday conversation ('she asked the waiter…').

Common Mistakes

I asked to the receptionist about the room.
I asked the receptionist about the room.
'ask' takes a direct object for the person, without 'to'.
She asked me the ticket price.' (placing both objects without 'about')
She asked me about the ticket price.
when information topic comes second, use 'about'.

2. to think about a situation carefully by going over the possible choices in your

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to think about a situation carefully by going over the possible choices in your mind, especially when you are not sure what to do.

Example

Before accepting the job in Tokyo, Elena asked herself whether she was ready to move abroad.

ask + yourself + whether + clause

Selim sat alone in the garden and asked himself why the relationship had broken down.

ask + yourself + wh-word + clause

Common collocations
  • ask yourself
  • ask oneself
  • stop and ask yourself
  • ask yourself why / whether / if
  • ask yourself the question
Synonyms
  • consider

    broader and less introspective; can apply to external factors

  • wonder

    more emotional or curious; less structured deliberation

  • ponder

    more literary; suggests slow, deep thought

Antonyms
  • ignore

    to deliberately not think about something

  • dismiss

    to reject a possibility without considering it

Grammar Patterns

ask + yourself + [wh-word] + clause

ask + oneself + whether/if + clause

Usage Note

Almost always used with a reflexive pronoun — yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves. The clause that follows begins with a question word (why, what, whether, if) and never takes question word order inversion ('I asked myself what I was doing', NOT 'what was I doing').

Common Mistakes

He asked what was the problem in his head.
He asked himself what the problem was.
the reflexive pronoun 'himself' is necessary to show internal deliberation rather than speaking aloud.
I asked me if it was worth it.
I asked myself if it was worth it.
always use the -self form, never the object pronoun 'me'.

3. to speak to someone and let them know you would like them to perform a task, to

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to speak to someone and let them know you would like them to perform a task, to give you an item, or to grant you permission for something.

Example

Christopher asked his boss for a day off so he could attend his cousin's wedding.

ask + someone + for + something

Soraya asked the waiter to bring her a glass of water with a slice of lemon.

ask + someone + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • ask for help
  • ask for permission
  • ask for directions
  • ask someone to do something
  • ask a favour
  • politely ask
Synonyms
  • request

    more formal; often written rather than spoken

  • beg

    much stronger; implies desperation or great need

  • demand

    stronger and more forceful; implies the speaker expects compliance

Antonyms
  • refuse

    to say no to a request someone has made

  • offer

    to give something without being asked

Grammar Patterns

ask + [someone] + to-infinitive

ask + [someone] + for + [noun phrase]

ask + for + [noun phrase]

ask + if + clause (embedded request)

Usage Note

The core pattern 'ask someone to do something' is the most frequent construction across all registers. To request an object (not an action), use 'ask for'. Note the difference: 'ask the teacher' (put a question to the teacher) versus 'ask the teacher for a pen' (request an object).

Common Mistakes

She asked a doctor.' (when she wanted medical help)
She asked for a doctor.' or 'She asked to see a doctor.
without 'for' or 'to', 'asked a doctor' only means she put a question to the doctor.
I asked him help.
I asked him for help.' or 'I asked him to help me.
the object of the request needs 'for' (noun) or 'to' (verb).

4. to invite someone into your house or along to a place, usually for a social occa

4.verbtransitiveA2
Definition

to invite someone into your house or along to a place, usually for a social occasion or an informal get-together.

Example

Théo asked his friend Lisa whether she wanted to go to the cinema on Friday.

ask + whether + clause (invitation)

Esme asked a few friends over for dinner to celebrate her birthday.

ask + someone + over (to one's home)

Common collocations
  • ask someone over
  • ask someone out
  • ask someone round
  • ask someone to dinner
  • ask someone to come along
Synonyms
  • invite

    more formal and unambiguous; 'ask' is more casual

  • call over

    informal; to ask someone to come to where you are

  • have over

    to host someone at your home

Antonyms
  • uninvite

    colloquial; to tell someone they can no longer come

  • exclude

    to deliberately not include someone

Grammar Patterns

ask + [someone] + to-infinitive + [place/activity]

ask + [someone] + over / out / round / in

ask + [someone] + to + [event]

Usage Note

The particle 'over' suggests an invitation to someone's home; 'out' suggests a social event outside the home (a meal, drinks, a date); 'round' and 'in' are British variants of 'over'. The ordinary verb 'invite' is more formal; 'ask' is the everyday word for informal invitations.

Common Mistakes

I asked her to the party but she didn't come.' — This sentence is grammatically correct but could be confused with a request (asking someone to bring something).
I invited her to the party.' or 'I asked her to come to the party.
Use 'invite' or add 'to come' to make the invitation sense unmistakable.

5. to state a price or a condition that must be met, especially when selling someth

5.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to state a price or a condition that must be met, especially when selling something or when expecting a certain level of effort from someone.

Example

The seller is asking fifteen thousand dollars for the car, which I think is too much.

ask + [price] + for + [item]

The advertisement asks for at least three years of experience in marketing.

ask for + [requirement]

Common collocations
  • asking price
  • ask a lot of someone
  • ask a fortune / a high price
  • be asking for trouble
  • all you can ask for
Synonyms
  • demand

    more forceful; suggests the speaker expects compliance as a right

  • require

    more formal; used in rules, contracts, and job descriptions

  • expect

    broader; can mean to believe something is likely or deserved

Antonyms
  • offer

    to propose a price, not state one

  • accept

    to agree to a price or condition

Grammar Patterns

ask + [amount/price] + for + [item]

be asking + [amount]

ask + a lot of + [someone]

Usage Note

Common in selling contexts ('what are you asking for it?'). The idiom 'be asking for trouble' (to behave in a way that will cause problems) belongs to this sense. Unlike SENSE 3 (MAKE REQUEST), this sense does not involve politely requesting — it states what is required as a condition.

Common Mistakes

The house asks $300,000.
The seller is asking $300,000 for the house.
the subject of 'ask' is the seller, not the item being sold.
My job asks me to work late.
My job asks a lot of me.' or 'My job requires me to work late.
for expected effort, 'require' is clearer; 'ask a lot of someone' is idiomatic for demanding effort.
Phrasal verbs

ask around

phrasal verb

to ask many people the same question in order to get information or find something.

I asked around the office but nobody knew where the spare projector was kept.

Yara asked around among her neighbours until she found someone who could babysit on Saturday.

ask after

phrasal verb

to ask about someone's health or well-being, especially as a polite greeting through a third person.

Elena asked after your mother when I saw her at the supermarket this morning.

Your grandmother called and asked after the children — she wants them to visit soon.

ask out

phrasal verb

to invite someone to go on a date or to a social event with you, especially a romantic one.

Christopher was too nervous to ask Soraya out, so his friend did it for him.

After weeks of chatting at the library, Tomás finally asked a colleague out for coffee.

ask over / round

phrasal verb

to invite someone to your home for a visit, meal, or informal gathering.

We should ask the neighbours over for dinner one weekend to get to know them better.

I asked a few colleagues round for tea after the conference ended.

Idioms

if you ask me

idiom

used to introduce a personal opinion, showing that you are stating what you believe rather than a fact.

If you ask me, the new manager is doing a much better job than the old one.

That film was far too long, if you ask me.

don't ask

idiom

used informally to say that something is too embarrassing, complicated, or unpleasant to explain.

"How did the meeting go?" "Don't ask — it was a complete disaster."

The amount of paperwork involved is unbelievable, don't ask.

ask for trouble / be asking for it

idiom

to behave in a way that will almost certainly cause problems for you.

Driving home through the snowstorm without winter tyres is just asking for trouble.

Leaving your phone on the table in a crowded café is asking for it.

Word family

  • ask
    verbA1
  • asking
    verb present participleA1
  • asker
    nounC1
  • unasked
    adjectiveC1
  • asking price
    noun phraseB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs involve seeking information, but they differ in formality and intensity. 'Ask' is the neutral, everyday word — you ask a friend the time, ask a teacher a question, ask for directions. 'Inquire' is more formal and implies a structured search for facts, such as inquiring about a job opening or inquiring at a hotel reception desk. 'Question' is more deliberate and can suggest pressure or investigation, as when police question a witness. 'Quiz' is informal and playful, meaning to test someone's knowledge in a quick, casual way ('My dad quizzed me on my history notes'). 'Interview' means asking a planned set of questions for a specific purpose, like a journalist interviewing a politician or a manager interviewing a job candidate. So the same person might ask a stranger for the time, inquire about a train schedule at the ticket office, be questioned by a police officer, get quizzed by their child on animal names, and interview someone for a news story.

ask ↗inquire ↗question ↗quiz ↗interview ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have the nerve to ask
  • dare to ask
  • if you don't mind my asking
  • who asked you?

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb 'ask' comes from Old English 'āscian' (to ask, inquire), which developed from the Proto-Germanic root '*aiskōną'. It is related to Old Frisian 'āskia', Old Saxon 'ēskon', and Old High German 'eiscōn' (to ask, demand). The word has been part of everyday English for over a thousand years, evolving from a general 'seeking' verb into the core word for putting questions and making requests. The spelling with 'sk' (rather than 'sc' or 'x') became standard in Middle English.