Can I ask you another thing ?

Question

vs. test Q:  Can I ask you something else ?  (Puis-je vous demander autre chose ? )

Re: the question, as stated,  it's hard to imagine a situation where someone (A) wouldn't have already asked the person (B) one or more questions.  Okay- a stretch:  the person (B) says- "So you want to ask me about a,b,c."  The questioner (A)  says-  "(No) can I ask you something else (instead)?"

In English, "Can I ask you something else?" = yet another question, not a different question. Thus,

"Can I ask you another thing ?"  So, "Puis-je vous demander une autre chose ?"

I'm confused, obviously!  ;)

Melody

Aurélie Drouard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Melody !

That was quite a confusingly long question :)
I completely agree with the nuances of meaning you pointed out between "Can I ask you something else?" and "Can I ask you another thing?", and all I can say is that this nuance doesn't really translate in French!
The reason is that you won't say "Puis-je vous demander UNE autre chose ?" in French, it sounds wrong, you would use "autre chose" or indeed "quelque chose d'autre".

I hope that answers your question!
À bientôt !

Melody Siegler · Answer

Aurélie- After I submitted the question, I realized how confusing it might be.  Alas, I couldn't delete the question.

Thank you for sorting out my long question, understanding it correctly, and giving an excellent answer.