How to say “Do you speak English?” in Chinese
“Do you speak English?” in Chinese is 你会说英语吗？, written in pinyin as Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?.
你会说英语吗？
Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?
Do you speak English?
Word by word
What each part of 你会说英语吗？ actually means.
- 你nǐyou
- 会huìcan / to know how to
- 说shuōto speak
- 英语YīngyǔEnglish
- 吗mayes/no question particle
When you use it
会 is about a learned skill. Swap it for 能 and the question shifts from "do you speak English?" to "could you say it in English?".
Use 你会说英语吗？ in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.
Common questions
- How do you say "Do you speak English?" in Chinese?
- "Do you speak English?" in Chinese is 你会说英语吗？ — written in pinyin as Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?. It is a everyday phrase you would use in China.
- What does 你会说英语吗？ mean in Chinese?
- 你会说英语吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?) means "Do you speak English?". Broken down word by word: 你 (nǐ) means "you"; 会 (huì) means "can / to know how to"; 说 (shuō) means "to speak"; 英语 (Yīngyǔ) means "English"; 吗 (ma) means "yes/no question particle".
- When would you use "Do you speak English?" in Chinese?
- 会 is about a learned skill. Swap it for 能 and the question shifts from "do you speak English?" to "could you say it in English?". You would say 你会说英语吗？ (Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?) in everyday conversation.
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