你会说...
nǐ huì shuō ...
Do you speak · trad. 你會說...
你会说... (nǐ huì shuō...) is the standard way to ask if someone can speak a particular language in Mandarin Chinese. It directly translates to "you can speak..." and is followed by the name of the language.
When to use it
Neutral and polite. It's suitable for most situations. To be more specific, you can add the language directly after 说, e.g., 你会说英语吗? (Do you speak English?).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "nee HWEY shwor..." The first character 你 (nǐ) is a third tone, and 会 (huì) is a fourth tone, followed by 说 (shuō), a first tone.
Other ways to say it
- 你会说英语吗？nǐ huì shuō yīng yǔ ma ？Do you speak English?
- 你会讲中文吗？nǐ huì jiǎng zhōng wén ma ？Do you speak Chinese? (using 讲, another verb for 'speak')
- 你懂英语吗？nǐ dǒng yīng yǔ ma ？Do you understand English? (often used interchangeably)
Examples
请问，你会说中文吗？
qǐng wèn ， nǐ huì shuō zhōng wén ma ？
Excuse me, do you speak Chinese?
你会说一点点英语吗？
nǐ huì shuō yì diǎn diǎn yīng yǔ ma ？
Do you speak a little English?
他会说法语和德语。
tā huì shuō fǎ yǔ hé dé yǔ 。
He can speak French and German.
Pro tip: The character 会 (huì) here means 'can' or 'to be able to' (often learned through study or practice), which is why it's used to ask about language ability.
Related phrases
我爱你 · I love you爱 · Love我想你 · I miss you
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