你会说普通话吗？
nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?
The English phrase "do you speak mandarin?" is translated into Mandarin as 你会说普通话吗？ (nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?)
This phrase is used as a question to ask if someone is able to communicate in the Mandarin language.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "You can speak Mandarin [question particle]?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, you might use the phrase 你會說國語嗎? instead of 你会说普通话吗? This is because in Taiwan, the term 國語 is used instead of 普通话 to refer to Mandarin.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 会 (huì) is used here to denote a learned skill or ability, such as the ability to speak a language. To turn the declarative sentence into a yes/no question, the particle 吗 (ma) is added to the end.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà 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". To answer "No", you can say 不会 (bú huì), which means "cannot".
Did you know?
- In Taiwan, using the term 普通话 (pǔtōnghuà) to refer to Mandarin might be perceived as a political statement rather than a simple linguistic question. Residents there almost exclusively use 国语 (guóyǔ), which translates to 'national language'.
- If you want to say you speak Mandarin in a very humble way, you might say you 会一点 (huì yīdiǎn), which means you 'know just a little'. This is a common way to avoid sounding boastful during a conversation.
- In a formal setting, you might replace 你 (nǐ) with 您 (nín) to show respect to an elder or a superior when asking if they speak the language.
Examples in context
- 你会说普通话吗？Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?Do you speak Mandarin?
- 老师，你会说普通话吗？Lǎoshī, nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?Teacher, do you speak Mandarin?
Example conversation
Two people meeting for the first time at an airport.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你好！你会说普通话吗？Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?Hello! Do you speak Mandarin?
- 伟 Wei我会说一点点。Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎndiǎn.I can speak a little bit.
- 佳怡 Jiayi太好了，我们可以用中文聊天。Tài hǎole, wǒmen kěyǐ yòng Zhōngwén liáotiān.Great, we can chat in Chinese.
- 伟 Wei没问题，佳怡。Méi wèntí, Jiāyí.No problem, Jiayi.
