Dear bluemelon,
I can also add that спрашивать-спросить (to ask something) is used with the preposition У followed by the Genitive case or without any preposition in the Accusative case. The first option is used normally for asking concrete information.
Я спросил его, как у него дела.
I asked him how he was.
Я спросил у него, когда он приедет.
I asked him when we would come.
The verb просить-попросить (to ask smb for smth) is used with the preposition У and the Genitive case (smb) and the Accusative case (for smth).
Она попросила у мамы ручку.
She asked her Mom to give her a pen.
Best,
Yulia Amlinskaya,
Russian language teacher.