Lesson 11 — Can you speak Chinese? (你会说中文吗？ / Nǐ huì shuō zhōngwén ma?)

Learn how to ask and talk about language ability in Chinese.

1. Vocabulary | 生词 / New Words

Chinese	Pinyin	English
你	nǐ	you
我	wǒ	I / me
他 / 她	tā	he / she
会	huì	can / able to / skill
不会	bù huì	cannot / not able to
说	shuō	speak
中文	zhōngwén	Chinese (language)
英语	yīngyǔ	English (language)
法语	fǎyǔ	French
日语	rìyǔ	Japanese
韩语	hányǔ	Korean
一点	yīdiǎn	a little
不太会	bù tài huì	not very good at
很好	hěn hǎo	very good
学习	xuéxí	learn / study
多久	duōjiǔ	how long
老师	lǎoshī	teacher
学生	xuéshēng	student
国家	guójiā	country
旅行	lǚxíng	travel
交流	jiāoliú	communicate / exchange
朋友	péngyǒu	friend
工作	gōngzuò	work / job
公司	gōngsī	company
学校	xuéxiào	school

2. Grammar | 语法

Sentence Patterns:

• Subject + 会 + Verb + 吗？ → 你会说中文吗？
  Can you speak Chinese?
• Subject + 会 + Verb + 一点 → 我会说一点中文。
  I can speak a little Chinese.
• Subject + 不太会 + Verb → 他不太会说英语。
  He cannot speak English very well.
• Subject + 学 + Language + Duration → 我学中文学了三个月。
  I have been learning Chinese for three months.
• Question word “多久” for asking duration → 你学中文多久了？
  How long have you been learning Chinese?
• Subject + 想 + Verb → 我想学习英语。
  I want to learn English.
• Subject + 可以 + Verb → 我可以用中文交流。
  I can communicate in Chinese.

3. Dialogue | 对话

Chinese	Pinyin	English
A：你会说中文吗？	Nǐ huì shuō zhōngwén ma?	Can you speak Chinese?
B：我会说一点中文。	Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn zhōngwén.	I can speak a little Chinese.
A：你会说英语吗？	Nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?	Can you speak English?
B：我会说一点英语。	Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn yīngyǔ.	I can speak a little English.
A：你学中文学了多久了？	Nǐ xué zhōngwén xuéle duōjiǔle?	How long have you been learning Chinese?
B：我学中文学了三个月。	Wǒ xué zhōngwén xuéle sān gè yuè.	I have been learning Chinese for three months.
A：你学习中文的目的是什么？	Nǐ xuéxí zhōngwén de mùdì shì shénme?	What is your purpose for learning Chinese?
B：我想去中国旅行，也想和朋友交流。	Wǒ xiǎng qù zhōngguó lǚxíng, yě xiǎng hé péngyǒu jiāoliú.	I want to travel to China and also communicate with friends.
A：你会说其他语言吗？	Nǐ huì shuō qítā yǔyán ma?	Can you speak other languages?
B：我会说一点法语和日语，但不太会说韩语。	Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn fǎyǔ hé rìyǔ, dàn bù tài huì shuō hányǔ.	I can speak a little French and Japanese, but I cannot speak Korean very well.
A：你学习中文在哪里？	Nǐ xué zhōngwén zài nǎlǐ?	Where do you learn Chinese?
B：我在学校学习中文，也在家自学。	Wǒ zài xuéxiào xuéxí zhōngwén, yě zài jiā zìxué.	I learn Chinese at school and also self-study at home.
A：你会用中文工作吗？	Nǐ huì yòng zhōngwén gōngzuò ma?	Can you use Chinese at work?
B：我还不能很好地用中文工作，但我在努力学习。	Wǒ hái bù néng hěn hǎo de yòng zhōngwén gōngzuò, dàn wǒ zài nǔlì xuéxí.	I cannot use Chinese very well at work yet, but I am studying hard.

4. Extended Examples | 延伸句子

• 我会说中文、英语和一点日语。
  I can speak Chinese, English, and a little Japanese.
• 他不会说法语，但是他会说韩语。
  He cannot speak French, but he can speak Korean.
• 我学中文已经一年了，我会用中文和同学交流。
  I have been learning Chinese for one year, and I can communicate with classmates in Chinese.
• 学生学习外语的目的是为了和外国朋友交流。
  The purpose of students learning foreign languages is to communicate with foreign friends.
• 她会说三种语言：中文、英语和法语。
  She can speak three languages: Chinese, English, and French.
• 我不太会说中文，但是我正在努力练习口语。
  I am not very good at speaking Chinese, but I am practicing speaking hard.
• 你会写中文吗？
  Can you write Chinese?
• 我会写一点中文，也会看中文书。
  I can write a little Chinese and also read Chinese books.
• 老师会说很多种语言，他可以教不同国家的学生。
  The teacher can speak many languages; he can teach students from different countries.
• 我想通过学习中文更好地了解中国文化。
  I want to understand Chinese culture better by learning Chinese.

5. Practice | 练习

1. Translate into Chinese and Pinyin:
   • I can speak Chinese and English.
   • She can speak French, but not Japanese.
   • How long have you been learning Chinese?
   • I want to travel to China and speak Chinese with friends.
   • He is not very good at speaking English.
   • Can you write Chinese?
   • I can understand Chinese books but cannot write well.
   • We can communicate in Chinese at work.
   • They want to learn Chinese to make new friends.
   • My teacher can speak several languages very well.
2. Answer questions in Chinese:
   • 你会说中文吗？
   • 你学中文学了多久？
   • 你会说其他语言吗？
   • 你想学中文的目的是什么？
   • 你能用中文工作吗？
3. Create dialogues with classmates or friends asking about language abilities, using at least 5 different languages.
4. Write a paragraph describing your language skills, using patterns:
   • 我会说＿＿＿＿。
   • 我不会说＿＿＿＿。
   • 我会说一点＿＿＿＿。
   • 我想学＿＿＿＿。
5. Practice speaking aloud: pretend to interview a friend about what languages they can speak and how long they have learned them.

6. Summary | 总结

In this lesson, you learned how to ask and talk about language abilities using 会 (can / able to) and 不会 (cannot). You practiced asking and answering questions about which languages someone can speak, how long they have been learning, and their purpose for learning. You also learned to describe your own skills, including speaking, reading, and writing in different languages. Regular practice will help you confidently communicate about languages in Chinese and engage in conversations with classmates, teachers, and friends.