1. What ask if means
We use ask if to report yes/no questions.
It introduces an indirect (reported) question, usually after verbs like ask, wonder, want to know.
👉 Structure:
Subject + asked + (object) + if + clause
2. Examples
a) Direct question → Indirect with if
Direct: “Are you hungry?”
Indirect: He asked if I was hungry.
Direct: “Did she call you?”
Indirect: He asked if she had called me.
b) With whether (similar to if)
He asked whether I was busy.
(if and whether are often interchangeable, but whether is more formal.)
c) With modal verbs
Direct: “Can you help me?”
Indirect: She asked if I could help her.
d) With future tense
Direct: “Will you join us?”
Indirect: They asked if I would join them.
3. Common Mistakes
❌ He asked me if am hungry.
✅ He asked me if I was hungry. (backshift tense in reported speech)
❌ He asked if do I like pizza.
✅ He asked if I liked pizza. (no question word order after if)
✅ Quick rule to remember:
After ask if, always use statement word order (subject + verb), not question word order.
Notes:
* If, NOT that, is used after ask to introduce noun clause.
* Whether has the same meaning as if.
*The (pro)noun object (e.g., me) may be
omitted after ask.
* In addition to ask, yes/no questions can be reported by using want to know, wonder, and inquire.
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