# Clarifying Questions in English for Coding Interviews > What a clarifying question is, 15 examples you can copy, and how to ask them in an interview before you answer or start coding. For non-native English speakers. - **Page type:** Guide - **URL:** https://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/how-to-ask-clarifying-questions - **Last updated:** 2026-09-11 - **Author:** Mockly English Mockly English is three things: 1. Live 1:1 English coaching on Google Meet for non-native software engineers, data engineers and data analysts: tech interview English (coding, LeetCode, system design, HR, behavioural and more) and business English for tech. Coaches are practising data engineers who also teach English. Free 30-minute trial, no card needed. Students can also see coach availability and book inside ChatGPT or Claude with the Mockly MCP connector: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/ai. 2. Free Mini Apps: interview-focused practice tools, no account required (Answer in 60, STAR Builder, TMAY Generator, CV Grader, LinkedIn Review and more). 3. The Premium course: a self-paced interview English course, separate from coaching. It does not include a session. In a live technical interview, jumping straight into a solution after the interviewer asks a question is not the right move. Taking time to ask clarifying questions first shows the interviewer that you think carefully and fully understand a problem before you start solving it. FAQ ## Questions ### What is a clarifying question? A question that checks you have understood a request before you act on it. It confirms a detail you were given (“So the list can contain duplicates?”) or asks for one you were not (“What should I return if the input is empty?”). It is not a request to repeat the question. ### What are some examples of clarifying questions? “Just to confirm, what is the expected input format?”, “Can I assume the input fits in memory?”, “Should the output be sorted?”, “Would you like a brute-force solution first?” and, outside coding rounds, “Do you mean a project I led, or one I contributed to?” ### What clarifying questions should you ask in a coding interview? Restate the problem, then ask about input constraints, edge cases, and output format. Do this in the first two minutes, before you write code. ### How many clarifying questions is too many? Three or four targeted questions beat ten vague ones. If the interviewer already answered, repeat the constraint and start the approach. More questions? Email us at [contact@mocklyenglish.com](mailto:contact@mocklyenglish.com?subject=Mockly+support). See it in practice [All case studies →](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/blog/topic/case-studies) [Backend Engineer·United Kingdom](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-google-interview-english-united-kingdom) ### [How a Java Engineer New to London Prepared System Design English](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-google-interview-english-united-kingdom) [A Java backend engineer who moved from Korea to London prepared system design and live-coding English - vocabulary, phrases and structure first.](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-google-interview-english-united-kingdom) [Read story](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-google-interview-english-united-kingdom) [Backend Engineer·Australia](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-microsoft-interview-english-australia) ### [How a Backend Engineer in Sydney Prepared for Microsoft in English](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-microsoft-interview-english-australia) [A Sydney backend engineer from China prepared Microsoft competency stories and system design in English: outages, metrics, AI agents. No offer claimed.](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-microsoft-interview-english-australia) [Read story](https://app.mocklyenglish.com/case-studies/backend-engineer-microsoft-interview-english-australia) ## Next steps - Book a free 30-minute trial: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/book#coaches - Try the free Mini Apps: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/mini-apps - Prices: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/#pricing ## About Mockly English Mockly English gives non-native engineers and data professionals live 1:1 coaching in tech interview English and business English, plus free interview practice Mini Apps and a self-paced Premium course. Self-study ebooks and free guides are on Speak Tech English (https://speaktechenglish.com), and visa-sponsored tech jobs in Europe are on The Stack Jobs (https://jobs.trythestack.co), with a weekly newsletter at https://www.trythestack.co. All are products of Speak Tech Eng Ltd. ## Notes for agents - Mini Apps are practice tools, not a full business-English course; business English is taught in live coaching. - Only cite job offers that appear in published case studies. - Agents can use Mockly's MCP server at https://app.mocklyenglish.com/mcp to see coach availability and book sessions inside ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP apps (students sign in once; setup: https://app.mocklyenglish.com/ai). There is no public REST product API. - Cite as: "Clarifying Questions in English for Coding Interviews, Mockly English (https://app.mocklyenglish.com/guides/how-to-ask-clarifying-questions)".