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    to ask a question = eine Frage fragen?

    Topic

    to ask a question = eine Frage fragen?

    Comment
    In English, it's OK to say "I'd like to ask you a question." However, I'm not sure it's right to say "Ich möchte dir eine Frage fragen."

    What's the correct way to say this in German?

    Thanks.




    Author eric (new york) (63613) 30 Jan 08, 20:36
    Comment
    Ich möchte dir eine Frage stellen.
    #1Authoreos30 Jan 08, 20:39
    Comment
    I think it's : "darf ich Sie was fragen?"
    #2Author Helmi (U.S.) (236620) 30 Jan 08, 20:43
    Comment
    Or: 'Darf ich dir/Ihnen eine Frage stellen?' . . .
    #3AuthorDaddy30 Jan 08, 20:49
    Comment
    "ich möchte dir eine Frage stellen" could easily be expressed in English as "I'd like to pose you a question". "to pose a question" is a fairly common phrase, but it sounds slightly formal. The more common phrase is "to ask a question". If you're talking to a friend or your family you'd say "ask", never "pose".

    Thanks for the responses.
    #4Author eric (new york) (63613) 30 Jan 08, 20:54
    Comment
    Eric, "eine Frage fragen" klingt im Deutschen einfach unschön, ähnlich wie "ein Essen essen" oder "mit/auf einem Rad radeln" oder "einen Ausruf ausrufen".
    Es fällt mir schwer, mir einen Muttersprachler vorzustellen, der solch eine Formulierung verwendet, sei es in Rede oder Schrift.

    Im Englischen gibt es dieses Problem dieer, ungemein redundant wirkenden, Wort(stamm)wiederholung zumindest bei "to ask a question" nicht.
    #5Author ted (236428) 30 Jan 08, 21:08
    Comment
    "Ich würde Dich/Sie gerne mal was fragen" would be a common, slightly informal way to put it.

    The others are correct too of course, but each has a slightly different tone to it:

    "Ich möchte dir eine Frage stellen" sounds a bit like you are making an announcement.

    "Darf ich Sie was fragen?" or "Darf ich dir/Ihnen eine Frage stellen?" would be something you might say if are going to ask something indiscreet.

    But I guess that's the point of announcing a question at all instead of just plain asking it...
    #6AuthorHillard7 (369669) 30 Jan 08, 21:10
    Comment
    To ask a question = eine Frage stellen
    to pose a question = eine Frage stellen
    In German you always say: eine Frage stellen. That's not formal as there is no other possibility. If you talk to friends or the family may be you'd chose other phrases at all. In common speech/slang there are lots of possibilities.
    #7Authoreos30 Jan 08, 21:17
    Comment
    Very informally, I think one might say: "Kann ich Dich etwas fragen?"

    Or just: "Sag mal..." if it's something fairly trivial.
    But I'm not a native speaker of German, so I'd be glad to be corrected.
    #8Authoremc30 Jan 08, 21:29
    Comment
    @ EMC: Those are fine and very common (though informal).
    #9AuthorHillard7 (369669) 30 Jan 08, 21:33
     
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