How to Say "Do You Speak" in Japanese

話せますか

hanasemasu ka

In Japanese, "do you speak" is expressed as 話せますか (hanasemasu ka).

This phrase is used to ask if someone has the ability to communicate in a specific language.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The phrase 話せますか is a polite way to ask about language ability.

The form 話せますか uses the potential form of the verb 話す (to speak) to ask about ability, making it a polite way to ask if someone can speak a language.

hanasemasu ka

When asking if someone speaks a language, Japanese speakers often omit the subject 'you' entirely, as including 'anata' (you) can sometimes feel overly direct or even confrontational.
If you ask 日本語が話せますか and the person answers はい (yes), they may still struggle to hold a conversation due to a cultural tendency to avoid saying 'no'.
In very formal settings, a speaker might omit the subject entirely and use 英語は… with a trailing voice, letting the listener infer the question 'do you speak English?'

何語が話せますか？
What languages do you speak?
This sentence is useful for asking what languages a person can speak using 話せますか.
Tatoeba #8679659 by mochico, translation #685840 by Zifre
日本語は話せますか。
Do you speak Japanese?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone can speak Japanese using 話せますか.
Tatoeba #122333 by KK_kaku_, translation #69058 by autuno
イタリア語を話せますか？
Do you speak Italian?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone can speak Italian using 話せますか.
Tatoeba #4994 by bunbuku, translation #1590 by bmorsello
8 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two people meet for the first time at an international event.

大翔 Hiroto

英語は話せますか？
Eigo wa hanasemasu ka?
Do you speak English?
美咲 Misaki

はい、少しだけ話せます。
Hai, sukoshi dake hanasemasu.
Yes, I can speak a little.
大翔 Hiroto

よかったです。私は英語しか話せません。
Yokatta desu. Watashi wa eigo shika hanasemasen.
That's great. I can only speak English.
美咲 Misaki

大丈夫です。ゆっくり話してください。
Daijoubu desu. Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
That's okay. Please speak slowly.

Sources

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