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ESL forum > Ask for help > Do native speakers ever say "I have a doubt"?    

Do native speakers ever say "I have a doubt"?





donapeter
Romania

i still don �t get it!  Why saying" I have a doubt" instead " I have a question �" ? 
Or as BB said....it is a Hispanic thing , language related, and this is why we cannot understand it. For me is crystal clear.  

10 Aug 2010     



franknbea
United Kingdom

Dona, "Tengo una duda" is as widely used as I have a question in certain Spanish speaking countries. Hence I have a doubt.

10 Aug 2010     



Zora
Canada

You cannot say "I have a doubt" without putting a preposition/verb after it.

"I have a doubt about ... something.. "

"I have a doubt regarding ... something..."

"I have a doubt with ... the lyrics of this song... "


And "I have a question about this..." is the same as "I have a doubt about/with/regarding..." - It means that you are not clear on some point or you need clarification on something...

"I was wondering about..." / "Can I ask something about ... "/ "I am not sure about..." are other ways of asking the same thing; but saying "I have a doubt" and not using a preposition is incorrect. It might be understood by many (all) here but it �s not grammatically correct, nor is it used in English speaking countries.





10 Aug 2010     



frenchfrog
France

Oxford Advanced Learner �s Dictionary
 
- There is some doubt about the best way to do it.
- There is no doubt at all that we did the right thing.
- New evidence has cast doubt on the guilt of the man jailed for the crime.
- The article raised doubts about how effective the new drug really was.
- If you are in any doubt as to whether you should be doing these exercises, consult your doctor.
- She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was lying to her.
-Whether he will continue to be successful in future is open to doubt.
 
The lesson to learn is: do not have doubts! Be always sure! LOL
 

10 Aug 2010     



joy2bill
Australia

My students are so insistent on using �I have a doubt" that I almost don �t hear it anymore.
 
However a native speaker would never use it if they were inquiring about something.
Try: I have a question
I �m not sure about.... (most common)
I don �t understand...
Can you help me?
What about.....
I �m not familiar with...
 
It can be used in expressions such as "I have no doubt that the moon landing did happen." In this case you are not expressing a request for information.
 
Just my tuppence worth.
Joy

10 Aug 2010     



ueslteacher
Ukraine

You can also say "I was wondering if...(and your indirect question)"
Sophia

10 Aug 2010     



donapeter
Romania

i still insist: doubt and question are 2 different things. Used in different contexts. 
If you know the difference between the 2 words , you just can�t use them in the same context.
It is correct to say: "I have a doubt/doubts about ....." but not instead " I have a question about...."

10 Aug 2010     



Zora
Canada

Dona, why do we ask questions? Because we have doubts regarding something or are unclear on some point. Whether it be that there isn�t enough information there for them to understand, a concept isn�t clear or we didn�t explain clearly enough for that person.

And to be quite honest here, when my students say to me, "Teacher, I have a doubt". It always means that they have a question about something that they didn�t understand.

10 Aug 2010     



donapeter
Romania

well....maybe I cannot understand as I �ve never heard : Teacher, I have a doubt! from my students. 
Anyway, if it is mother tongue related - in my language "I have a doubt"translated as it is- means smth different than "I have a question". Maybe this is why my students don �t use this statement.  Students (not only)  use mother tongue when speaking/thinking  English and  this is why some of them have different interpretation of the same topic. 

10 Aug 2010     



Babs1966
France

What I can say, and what I �ve heard...
 
...people can say :"I �m gonna win the lotery"
and an other one to respond this dreaming person:"I dought it!"
 
Now I don �t know if it �s correct English or not but it �s used ;)
 
Hope you find the answers to your questions and I hope I wasn �t irrelevant
 
Good day

10 Aug 2010     

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