a doubt

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1
  1. Can I ask (you) a doubt?
  2. Can I ask (you) a doubt so that you can clarify me?
  3. Can I ask (you) a question?
  4. Can I ask (you) a question so that you can clarify me?
    Please correct the above.
    Thanks.
2

Only 3 is correct in standard English.
As has been pointed out many times before a native English speaker does not use ‘doubt’ in the way you indicate.

Sentence 4 requires this additional recast
Can I ask you a question so that you can clarify something for me.

‘Clarify me’ does not work at all. It falls into the same category as ‘explain me’ which also doesn’t work. You require an additional preposition to avoid it appearing as if you want someone to
clarify you (make you pure)
explain you (provide an explanation of your existence.)

clarify for me
explain to/for me

3

But for your posts (sometimes repetitive, though), Fathima, this forum would have been very dry, really! Here, again, when we need some clarification, we say ‘I have a doubt’ which is commonly found among our English users although it is non-standard. ‘I have a question’, ‘I have something to ask you’, ‘I need further/some clarification’ etc are some of the ways by which many native speakers of English have conveyed to me the meaning of the so-called InE cliche ‘I have a doubt’.

4

By ‘our English users’ I presume you mean Indian speakers who are learning English. You are right. English second language users from India and Spain both use this term to randomly replace ‘question’ - but it is not standard English grammar.

If you google something like "grammar doubt v question’ you’ll find many discussions on forums similar to this (which I have no intention of advertising here by posting links) which explain this misuse.

5

Note that when I talk to the identified forum members of my country (usually addressing them by name), I use the term ‘our users’ which, as is very clear to them, means the users (not learners alone) of English in India. You have this concern because you often ignore the context and just construe the ‘we’ as including all the listeners/readers and the speaker/writer as a whole. If you revisit the discussions, you will realize it. Further, the pronoun ‘we’, as you will agree, is an ambiguous English word in the absence of a context.

Well, as regards the usage under discussion I can say it is due to the influence of one’s mother tongue, particularly in India where, when people do not understand something, they say they have ‘a doubt’ which the well-educated speakers here would also avoid, always.

6

Using ‘our users’ is not at all helpful to those who are not aware of your intentions.
‘our’ = this forum, as that is the only then all the forum users have in common.
The problem is not mine. You are the person who writes with ambiguity.

7

Okay, be happy! LUSH.

8

Thanks once again for the compliment.