Can I ask you what your English level is?

R

roxanelag

Senior Member
Spanish-Spain
Hello everyone,
This is the second time that I find myself before this puzzle: "Can I ask you what your English level is?"
Is this a correct question? The inversion subject/verb is in the first clause, so it should be. However, it sounds awful. My brain always goes to Can I ask you what's your English level?"
Can you cast any light on this craziness of mine?

Thanks in advance folks!

P.s: I feel like a complete rookie! 😅
 
    • roxanelag said:
    My brain always goes to Can I ask you what's your English level?"
    Can you cast any light on this craziness of mine?
    Click to expand...
    Sure. In English, word order is different in questions and statements.

    The question word order is:
    What is your English level?
    Click to expand...
    So you might construct a question this way:
    Tell me: what is your English level?
    Click to expand...

    But word order is different between statements and questions. The basic phrase in English,
    which is not a question, is [what your English level is]. That word order matches "what time it is" and countless other English phrases (not questions). That phrase can be used in various sentences:

    Tell the man [what your English level is].
    You don't even know [what your English level is].
    I wonder [what your English level is].
    Everyone wants to know [what your English level is].
    Do you know [what your English level is]?
    Why does anyone care [what your English level is]?
    Can I ask [what your English level is]?
    Click to expand...
     
    Can I ask you X? is a direct question in which you is the indirect object of ask and X is the direct object of ask, which naturally takes the form of a noun phrase.

    Can I ask you something? :tick:​
    Can I ask you how old you are? :tick:​
    Can I ask you what level of English you’re currently at? :tick:​
    ​
    Can I ask you how old are you? :cross:​
    Can I ask you what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsdown:​
    (OK spoken, with a slight pause, but not written this way)​
    Can I ask you – what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsup:​
    = Do you mind if I ask [you this]: what level of English are you currently at?​
     
    lingobingo said:
    Can I ask you X? is a direct question in which you is the indirect object of ask and X is the direct object of ask, which naturally takes the form of a noun phrase.

    Can I ask you something? :tick:​
    Can I ask you how old you are? :tick:​
    Can I ask you what level of English you’re currently at? :tick:​
    ​
    Can I ask you how old are you? :cross:​
    Can I ask you what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsdown:​
    (OK spoken, with a slight pause, but not written this way)​
    Can I ask you – what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsup:​
    = Do you mind if I ask [you this]: what level of English are you currently at?​
    Click to expand...
    Thanks both of you 🙂
    Lingobingo, your last two sentences blew my mind. I'd need reassurance.
    So, "Can I ask what level of English are you at?" , only one sentence without pause instead of: "Can I ask...? What level of English are you at?" is correct, then?

    Thanks!!
     
    It depends what you mean by correct! I’m basically agreeing with what cidertree says in #2. Lots of people might say that, but if writing it, most would use some kind of punctuation to explain how it was meant – and it would probably only ever be written as dialogue (direct speech).

    In case you’re still in any doubt, "Can I ask you {what your English level is}?" is the standard way to ask your embedded question – in the form of a noun phrase as the direct object of the verb ask in your main question.
     
    roxanelag said:
    Hello everyone,
    This is the second time that I find myself before this puzzle: "Can I ask you what your English level is?"
    Is this a correct question? The inversion subject/verb is in the first clause, so it should be. However, it sounds awful. My brain always goes to Can I ask you what's your English level?"
    Can you cast any light on this craziness of mine?

    Thanks in advance folks!

    P.s: I feel like a complete rookie! 😅
    Click to expand...
    There are two clauses, in brackets:

    [Can I ask you] [what your English level is]

    As you correctly point out, subject-auxiliary verb inversion occurs in the first clause. The second clause is known as an "embedded question" and the syntax rule is that subject-auxiliary verb doesn't happen because inversion has already occurred in the governing/main clause.

    But "syntax rule" is about process, how things happen when they happen. These are not "rules that require people to speak in a particular way, though some view it that way nonetheless. It is rather common to find -- at least in everyday speech -- things like Can I ask you what's your English level? Why? Well, probably because the speaker "hears" a pause between the two clauses, so that the speaker is thinking of two questions, as opposed to two clauses with an embedded question. In other words, he is placing greater emphasis on what is the meaningful part, What's your English level? Since writing is really a reflection of speech, that direct question intent is then transferred to the written text.

    All that said, if you follow the syntax rule, you'll never go wrong, or be judged to be using "incorrect" English.
     
    lingobingo said:
    Can I ask you X? is a direct question in which you is the indirect object of ask and X is the direct object of ask, which naturally takes the form of a noun phrase.

    Can I ask you something? :tick:​
    Can I ask you how old you are? :tick:​
    Can I ask you what level of English you’re currently at? :tick:​
    ​
    Can I ask you how old are you? :cross:​
    Can I ask you what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsdown:​
    (OK spoken, with a slight pause, but not written this way)​
    Can I ask you – what level of English are you currently at? :thumbsup:​
    = Do you mind if I ask [you this]: what level of English are you currently at?​
    Click to expand...

    lingobingo said:
    It depends what you mean by correct! I’m basically agreeing with what cidertree says in #2. Lots of people might say that, but if writing it, most would use some kind of punctuation to explain how it was meant – and it would probably only ever be written as dialogue (direct speech).

    In case you’re still in any doubt, "Can I ask you {what your English level is}?" is the standard way to ask your embedded question – in the form of a noun phrase as the direct object of the verb ask in your main question.
    Click to expand...

    SevenDays said:
    There are two clauses, in brackets:

    [Can I ask you] [what your English level is]

    As you correctly point out, subject-auxiliary verb inversion occurs in the first clause. The second clause is known as an "embedded question" and the syntax rule is that subject-auxiliary verb doesn't happen because inversion has already occurred in the governing/main clause.

    But "syntax rule" is about process, how things happen when they happen. These are not "rules that require people to speak in a particular way, though some view it that way nonetheless. It is rather common to find -- at least in everyday speech -- things like Can I ask you what's your English level? Why? Well, probably because the speaker "hears" a pause between the two clauses, so that the speaker is thinking of two questions, as opposed to two clauses with an embedded question. In other words, he is placing greater emphasis on what is the meaningful part, What's your English level? Since writing is really a reflection of speech, that direct question intent is then transferred to the written text.

    All that said, if you follow the syntax rule, you'll never go wrong, or be judged to be using "incorrect" English.
    Click to expand...
    After reading all your answers, and although it's difficult to grasp a pronunciation concept in a written forum, or in a forum, I think I got it.
    Especially, the part where Seven days says that sometimes the speaker 'hears' a pause. That makes sense. Spot on!

    Thank you all once again! 🙂🙏

    P.s: I'm relieved it will not be a mortal sin if it slips out in the future. 😉
     
    SevenDays said:
    It is rather common to find -- at least in everyday speech -- things like Can I ask you what's your English level? Why? Well, probably because the speaker "hears" a pause between the two clauses, so that the speaker is thinking of two questions, as opposed to two clauses with an embedded question.
    Click to expand...
    I disagree (at least in my dialect of AE) with one part. The listener only "hears" a pause if the speaker pauses. In spoken English, pauses are part of the grammar, along with intonation. In written English, spoken pauses are represented by punctuation. Different punctuation is used for different meanings that a pause (along with voice intonation) expresses.

    If there are two questions, there is a pause between them. The transcriber decides whether to represent that pause in writing as ':' or '-' or '?' or something else. In writing these are fine:
    Can I ask you – what's your English level?
    Click to expand...
    Can I ask you: what's your English level?
    Click to expand...

    I agree it is a "small mistake" to use question word order instead of normal word order. But I think most listeners will notice the difference, in the same way that they will notice the speaker using /f/ instead of /θ/, or /i/ instead of /ɪ/. They can easily understand, but they still notice.
     
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