你会说英语吗？
nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?
In Chinese, "do you speak English?" is said as 你会说英语吗？ (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?)
This phrase is used to ask if someone has the ability to communicate in the English language. To be more polite when initiating a conversation or asking this question, you can start with 请问, which is equivalent to "Excuse me" or "May I ask."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down as follows: 会 (huì) means "can" or "to know how to", 说 (shuō) means "to speak", 英语 (yīngyǔ) means "English" and 吗 (ma) is a particle that turns the sentence into a yes-or-no question.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 会 (huì) is used specifically to indicate a learned skill or ability. The particle 吗 (ma) is placed at the end of the sentence to transform the statement into a yes-or-no question.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this question, a common way to answer "yes" is to simply say 会 (huì), meaning "can" or "know how". To answer "no", you can say 不会 (bú huì), which means "cannot" or "don't know how".
Did you know?
- The word for English, 英语 (yīngyǔ), contains the character 英 (yīng), which also means 'hero' or 'brave'.
- To show respect to an elder or a person of higher status, you should replace the standard 'you', 你 (nǐ), with the polite form 您 (nín).
- In Southern China or areas influenced by Cantonese, you might hear people use the verb 讲 (jiǎng) instead of the standard 说 (shuō) to mean 'to speak'.
Examples in context
- 请问，您会说英语吗？Excuse me, do you speak English?
- 请问，您能用英语交流吗？Excuse me, can you communicate in English?
- 你能说英语吗？Can you speak English?
- 你会说英语吗？Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?Do you speak English?
- 老师，你会说英语吗？Lǎoshī, nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?Teacher, do you speak English?
Example conversation
Haoran is asking Zihan for help with a foreign tourist.
- 浩然 Haoran梓涵，你会说英语吗？Zǐhán, nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?Zihan, do you speak English?
- 梓涵 Zihan我会说一点点。Wǒ huì shuō yī diǎndiǎn.I can speak a little bit.
- 浩然 Haoran那太好了，帮我一下。Nà tài hǎole, bāng wǒ yīxià.That's great, help me out.
- 梓涵 Zihan没问题，浩然。Méi wèntí, Hàorán.No problem, Haoran.
