ask – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of ask

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to ask sb in
Participle: asked sb in
Gerund: asking sb in

Cognates

See the 3 cognates of ask

Indicative

Present

Iask sb in
youask sb in
he;she;itasks sb in
weask sb in
youask sb in
theyask sb in

Perfect

Ihave asked sb in
youhave asked sb in
he;she;ithas asked sb in
wehave asked sb in
youhave asked sb in
theyhave asked sb in

Past

Iasked sb in
youasked sb in
he;she;itasked sb in
weasked sb in
youasked sb in
theyasked sb in

Pluperfect

Ihad asked sb in
youhad asked sb in
he;she;ithad asked sb in
wehad asked sb in
youhad asked sb in
theyhad asked sb in

Future

Iwill ask sb in
youwill ask sb in
he;she;itwill ask sb in
wewill ask sb in
youwill ask sb in
theywill ask sb in

Future Perfect

Iwill have asked sb in
youwill have asked sb in
he;she;itwill have asked sb in
wewill have asked sb in
youwill have asked sb in
theywill have asked sb in

Subjunctive

Present

Iask sb in
youask sb in
he;she;itask sb in
weask sb in
youask sb in
theyask sb in

Perfect

Ihave asked sb in
youhave asked sb in
he;she;ithave asked sb in
wehave asked sb in
youhave asked sb in
theyhave asked sb in

Imperfect

Iasked sb in
youasked sb in
he;she;itasked sb in
weasked sb in
youasked sb in
theyasked sb in

Pluperfect

Ihad asked sb in
youhad asked sb in
he;she;ithad asked sb in
wehad asked sb in
youhad asked sb in
theyhad asked sb in

Conditional

Present

Iwould ask sb in
youwould ask sb in
he;she;itwould ask sb in
wewould ask sb in
youwould ask sb in
theywould ask sb in

Perfect

Iwould have asked sb in
youwould have asked sb in
he;she;itwould have asked sb in
wewould have asked sb in
youwould have asked sb in
theywould have asked sb in

Imperative

youask sb in
weLet's ask sb in
youask sb in

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam asking sb in
youare asking sb in
he;she;itis asking sb in
weare asking sb in
youare asking sb in
theyare asking sb in

Perfect

Ihave been asking sb in
youhave been asking sb in
he;she;ithas been asking sb in
wehave been asking sb in
youhave been asking sb in
theyhave been asking sb in

Past

Iwas asking sb in
youwere asking sb in
he;she;itwas asking sb in
wewere asking sb in
youwere asking sb in
theywere asking sb in

Pluperfect

Ihad been asking sb in
youhad been asking sb in
he;she;ithad been asking sb in
wehad been asking sb in
youhad been asking sb in
theyhad been asking sb in

Future

Iwill be asking sb in
youwill be asking sb in
he;she;itwill be asking sb in
wewill be asking sb in
youwill be asking sb in
theywill be asking sb in

Future Perfect

Iwill have been asking sb in
youwill have been asking sb in
he;she;itwill have been asking sb in
wewill have been asking sb in
youwill have been asking sb in
theywill have been asking sb in

Conditional

Present

Iwould be asking sb in
youwould be asking sb in
he;she;itwould be asking sb in
wewould be asking sb in
youwould be asking sb in
theywould be asking sb in

Perfect

Iwould have been asking sb in
youwould have been asking sb in
he;she;itwould have been asking sb in
wewould have been asking sb in
youwould have been asking sb in
theywould have been asking sb in

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'ask'

abandon, abduct, abear, aberr, abject, abord, abort, abound, abraid, abray, abrook, abscind, abscond, absist, absorb, abstain, abstract, accend, accent, accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'ask'

aik, ash, aske, bask, cask, mask, task, tsk, aah, ab,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

inquire
query, interrogate, survey, examine, question, catechize
demand
claim, impose, exact, expect, require, desire, levy
invite
suggest, urge, prompt, beckon
anticipate
await, foresee

Antonyms

inquire
answer, reply, respond, retort
demand
offer, relinquish, present, tender
anticipate
recollect, recall, remember, misapprehend

Additional Information

Etymology

1. O.E. ascian "ask," from earlier ahsian, from P.Gmc. *aiskojan (cf. O.S. escon, O.Fris. askia, M.Du. eiscen, O.H.G. eiscon, Ger. heischen "to ask, demand"), from PIE *ais- "to wish, desire" (cf. Skt. icchati "seeks, desires," Arm. aic "investigation," O.C.S. iskati "to seek," Lith. ieskau "to seek"). Form in Eng. infl. by a Scand. form of the word (cf. Dan. æske; the O.E. would have evolved by normal sound changes into ash, esh, which was a Midlands and s.w. England dialect form). The variant in modern dialect ax is as old as O.E. acsian and was an accepted literary variant until c.1600. O.E. also had fregnan, frignan which carried more directly the sense of "question, inquire," and is from PIE root *prek-, the common source of words for "ask" in most I.E. languages. If you ask me "in my opinion" is attested from 1910.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti
5. Proto-Indo-European *h₂isḱéti
6. Proto-Germanic *iskaną
7. Proto-Germanic *aiskaz
8. Proto-West Germanic *aisk
9. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
10. Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
11. Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
12. Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
13. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
14. Proto-Germanic *-ōną
15. Proto-West Germanic *-ōn
16. Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn
17. Old English āscian
18. Middle English asken
19. English ask
20. From Middle English asken, axen, from Old English āscian, from Proto-West Germanic *aiskōn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eys- (“to wish; request”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian aaskje (“to ask, demand, require”), West Frisian easkje (“to ask, demand, require”), Dutch eisen (“to demand, require”), German heischen (“to ask, request, implore”), Russian иска́ть (iskátʹ), Sanskrit इच्छति (iccháti) (whence Hindi ईछना (īchnā). See: Middle English 'asken', Frisian, Saterlandic 'aaskje', Dutch 'eisen', German, old spelling 'heischen', Russian 'иска́ть', Sanskrit 'इच्छति', Hindi 'ईछना'.

Verbs referencing "ask"

Russian искать, Proto-Slavic jьskati, Swedish äska.

Sample Sentences

  • “ I don't want to make my fortune on her, ” said Mr. Shelby, dryly; and, seeking to turn the conversation, he uncorked a bottle of fresh wine, and asked his companion's opinion of it. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • The labouring of the ship in the troubled sea on this night I shall never forget. ‘Will it ever be worse than this ? ’ was a question I had often heard asked, when everything was sliding and bumping about, and when it certainly did seem difficult to comprehend the possibility of anything afloat being more disturbed, without toppling over and going down. [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] “ It was only yesterday, ” said George, “ as I was busy loading stones into a cart, that young Mas’r Tom stood there, slashing his whip so near the horse that the creature was frightened. I asked him to stop, as pleasant as I could,—he just kept right on. I begged him again, and then he turned on me, and began striking me. I held his hand, and then he screamed and kicked and ran to his [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ I 'm sure, Aunt Chloe, I understand my pie and pudding privileges, ” said George. “ Ask Tom Lincon if I don't crow over him, every time I meet him. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Pity, now, Tom could n't, ” said Aunt Chloe, on whose benevolent heart the idea of Tom's benighted condition seemed to make a strong impression. “ Ye oughter just ask him here to dinner, some o ’ these times, Mas’r George, ” she added; “ it would look quite pretty of ye. Ye know, Mas’r George, ye oughtenter feel ’ bove nobody, on ’ count yer privileges, ’ cause [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] or to anybody else who hits his fancy. If you are an Englishman, he expects that that railroad is pretty much like an English railroad. If you say ‘No, ’ he says ‘Yes ? ’ (interrogatively ), and asks in what respect they differ. You enumerate the heads of difference, one by one, and he says ‘Yes ? ’ (still interrogatively ) to each. Then he guesses that you do n't travel faster in England; and [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] the groves where she had walked many an evening in happier days, by the side of her young husband,—everything, as it lay in the clear, frosty starlight, seemed to speak reproachfully to her, and ask her whither could she go from a home like that ? (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • ‘Arranged what ? ’ asked the Doctor. ‘Why, that business, ’ passing his hand wearily across his forehead, ‘about the siege of New York. ’ (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • ‘Do you think, ’ I asked of my conductor, ‘that after so very long an imprisonment, she has any thought or hope of ever regaining her liberty ? ’ (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] dim candle, and destitute of all comfort, save that which may be hidden in a wretched bed. Beside it, sits a man: his elbows on his knees: his forehead hidden in his hands. ‘What ails that man ? ’ asks the foremost officer. ‘Fever, ’ he sullenly replies, without looking up. Conceive the fancies of a feverish brain, in such a place as this! (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • What's that? It's the extractor core you asked for. It looks used. (Space/Time)
  • ♪ But did the night go swell ? ♪ ♪ Well, they asked me to the palace Next week as well ♪ (Fackham Hall)
  • Should I pop the trunk? I 'm just asking. I 'm just messing with you. (Vinci 2)
  • [Claire] Dear friends, fifty years ago, I went to Juliet's house in Verona. I wrote her a letter and I asked her a question. (Letters to Juliet)
  • - He just asked if I would buy -- - No ! Ah. Hm. Holy shit. (3)