Lesson 12 — What can you do? (你会做什么？ / Nǐ huì zuò shénme?)

Learn how to ask and talk about abilities and skills 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
做	zuò	do / make
什么	shénme	what
工作	gōngzuò	job / work
唱歌	chàng gē	sing
跳舞	tiàowǔ	dance
游泳	yóu yǒng	swim
做饭	zuò fàn	cook / make food
学习	xuéxí	learn / study
画画	huà huà	draw / paint
弹钢琴	tán gāngqín	play piano
开车	kāi chē	drive a car
运动	yùndòng	exercise / play sports
写作	xiězuò	write / composition
唱歌跳舞	chàng gē tiàowǔ	sing and dance
表演	biǎoyǎn	perform
帮助	bāngzhù	help / assist
朋友	péngyǒu	friend
家务	jiāwù	housework
手工	shǒugōng	handicraft / craftwork
唱歌比赛	chàng gē bǐsài	singing competition
表演节目	biǎoyǎn jiémù	perform a show

2. Grammar | 语法

Sentence Patterns:

• Subject + 会 + Verb → 我会唱歌。
  I can sing.
• Subject + 不会 + Verb → 他不会跳舞。
  He cannot dance.
• Subject + 会 + Verb + Object → 我会做饭。
  I can cook.
• Question: Subject + 会 + Verb + 吗？ → 你会游泳吗？
  Can you swim?
• Subject + 会 + Verb + Duration → 我会弹钢琴三年。
  I have been able to play piano for three years.
• Subject + 不太会 + Verb → 我不太会画画。
  I am not very good at drawing.
• Subject + 可以 + Verb → 我可以帮你做作业。
  I can help you do homework.

3. Dialogue | 对话

Chinese	Pinyin	English
A：你会做什么？	Nǐ huì zuò shénme?	What can you do?
B：我会唱歌。	Wǒ huì chàng gē.	I can sing.
A：你会跳舞吗？	Nǐ huì tiàowǔ ma?	Can you dance?
B：我会跳舞，也会唱歌。	Wǒ huì tiàowǔ, yě huì chàng gē.	I can dance and also sing.
A：你会游泳吗？	Nǐ huì yóuyǒng ma?	Can you swim?
B：我会游泳，但不会跳水。	Wǒ huì yóuyǒng, dàn bù huì tiàoshuǐ.	I can swim, but I cannot dive.
A：你会做饭吗？	Nǐ huì zuò fàn ma?	Can you cook?
B：我会做饭，也会做甜点。	Wǒ huì zuò fàn, yě huì zuò tiándiǎn.	I can cook and also make desserts.
A：你会画画吗？	Nǐ huì huà huà ma?	Can you draw?
B：我不太会画画，但我正在学习。	Wǒ bù tài huì huà huà, dàn wǒ zhèngzài xuéxí.	I am not very good at drawing, but I am learning.
A：你会弹钢琴吗？	Nǐ huì tán gāngqín ma?	Can you play the piano?
B：我会弹钢琴三年了。	Wǒ huì tán gāngqín sān nián le.	I have been able to play piano for three years.
A：你会做家务吗？	Nǐ huì zuò jiāwù ma?	Can you do housework?
B：我会做家务，也会帮朋友做手工。	Wǒ huì zuò jiāwù, yě huì bāng péngyǒu zuò shǒugōng.	I can do housework and also help friends do crafts.
A：你会表演节目吗？	Nǐ huì biǎoyǎn jiémù ma?	Can you perform a show?
B：我会表演节目，也喜欢参加唱歌比赛。	Wǒ huì biǎoyǎn jiémù, yě xǐhuān cānjiā chàng gē bǐsài.	I can perform shows and also like to join singing competitions.

4. Extended Examples | 延伸句子

• 我会做饭、唱歌和跳舞。
  I can cook, sing, and dance.
• 他不会游泳，但他会开车。
  He cannot swim, but he can drive a car.
• 我会弹钢琴，也会写作和画画。
  I can play piano, write, and draw.
• 她会做家务，也会帮助朋友做手工。
  She can do housework and also help friends with crafts.
• 我会唱歌跳舞，也会参加表演比赛。
  I can sing and dance, and also participate in performances.
• 他不太会做饭，但会做简单的甜点。
  He is not very good at cooking, but he can make simple desserts.
• 我们会做很多事情，比如游泳、唱歌、跳舞和做手工。
  We can do many things, such as swimming, singing, dancing, and handicrafts.
• 孩子们会画画和唱歌，他们很喜欢表演。
  Children can draw and sing; they like performing very much.
• 我想学做饭、游泳和跳舞。
  I want to learn cooking, swimming, and dancing.
• 她会做很多工作，也能帮助朋友和家人。
  She can do many kinds of work and can also help friends and family.

5. Practice | 练习

1. Translate into Chinese and Pinyin:
   • I can sing and dance.
   • He cannot swim but can drive a car.
   • She can cook and make desserts.
   • Can you draw?
   • I have been able to play piano for two years.
   • They can help friends do handicrafts.
   • We can perform a show and participate in competitions.
   • He is not very good at cooking.
   • Can you do housework?
   • I want to learn swimming, dancing, and cooking.
2. Answer questions in Chinese:
   • 你会做什么？
   • 你会跳舞吗？
   • 你会游泳吗？
   • 你会做饭吗？
   • 你会画画吗？
   • 你会弹钢琴吗？
   • 你会表演节目吗？
3. Create dialogues with friends asking and answering about what abilities they have, using at least 5 different skills.
4. Write a paragraph describing your abilities:
   • 我会＿＿＿＿。
   • 我不会＿＿＿＿。
   • 我会做一点＿＿＿＿。
   • 我想学＿＿＿＿。
5. Practice speaking aloud: pretend to interview a friend about what they can do and how long they have been practicing.

6. Summary | 总结

This lesson teaches how to talk about abilities and skills using 会 (can) and 不会 (cannot). You learned how to ask “What can you do?” and how to respond with various activities such as singing, dancing, swimming, cooking, drawing, playing instruments, performing, helping friends, and doing housework. Extended examples and exercises allow practice with sentences, dialogues, and self-description to improve both speaking and writing skills in Chinese. Regular practice will make you confident talking about your own skills and understanding others’ abilities in daily conversation.