说
shuō
The Chinese word for the verb 'speak' is 说 (shuō).
说 is most commonly used to mean 'to say' or 'to tell' a specific piece of information or a language. It can also refer to the physical act of speaking.
Meaning: to be able to communicate in a language (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 说 can mean the physical act of speaking, it is most often used to denote the transmission of specific information or languages. The synonym 讲 is also frequently used when specifically referring to speaking a language or giving a speech or lecture.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express the ability to speak a language, you will typically use the auxiliary verb 会 (huì) before 说. Additionally, if you want to refer to the general act of talking or conversing, you can combine 说 with the particle 话 (huà), meaning 'speech' or 'words', to form the verb-object compound 说话 (shuōhuà).
How do you pronounce it?
shuō
Did you know?
- The character 说 has a second pronunciation, yuè, which means 'to be happy' or 'to be pleased'. Though the writing is the same, the meaning shifts entirely from a verb of communication to an emotion.
- If you use the phrase 说不定 (shuōbudìng), you are not actually talking about the act of speaking, but rather saying 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
- The word 说 is used in the term 说客 to describe a professional lobbyist or persuader. In this context, it refers to the art of using speech to influence political outcomes rather than just communicating a language.
Examples in context
- 我说瑞典语。I speak Swedish.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 说 to indicate the language one speaks.Tatoeba #1428153 by sadhen, translation #880605 by CN
- 您说德语吗？Do you speak German?This sentence shows how to use 说 to ask a question about a person's language abilities.Tatoeba #5094793 by Jin_Dehong, translation #522397 by darinmex
- 汤姆想说话。Tom wants to speak.This sentence demonstrates the use of 说 to express the desire to speak.Tatoeba #5613702 by verdastelo9604, translation #2011447 by CK
- 你会说英语吗？Can you speak English?
- 我不会说中文。I can't speak Chinese.
- 我可以讲英语。I can speak English.
- 他讲得很流利。He speaks fluently.
- 请用英语说话。Please speak in English.
- 她慢慢地说话，以确保大家都听得明白。She speaks slowly to ensure everyone understands.
- 请你用汉语表达。Please express yourself in Chinese.
- 274 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang asks Yuting about her language skills at a party.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，你会说中文吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?Yuting, can you speak Chinese?
- 雨婷 Yuting我会说一点儿。Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎnr.I can speak a little.
- 志强 Zhiqiang太棒了，你很有天赋！Tài bàng le, nǐ hěn yǒu tiānfù!That's great, you are very talented!
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢，但我还要学习。Xièxiè, dàn wǒ hái yào xuéxí.Thank you, but I still need to study.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
